Former Barcelona sporting director Ramón Planes is interested in bringing Ronald Araújo to Al-Ittihad this summer.
Planes, who now serves as the Saudi outfit’s sporting director, is looking for ways to bolster his championship-winning side ahead of the 2025–26 season. With Al Hilal signing Theo Hernández and Al Nassr locking down Cristiano Ronaldo and João Félix, Al-Ittihad are falling behind in the race for reinforcements from top clubs in Europe.
Of all the names recently linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League, Planes revealed the one Barcelona player he would love to have playing for Al-Ittihad next season.
“I would sign [Araújo] tomorrow,” the 57-year-old told MARCA. “He’s one of the best center backs in the world.”
Unlike other players on Barcelona, Araújo is a realistic target for Al-Ittihad. Between injuries and falling behind Iñigo Martínez and Pau Cubarsí in Hansi Flick’s pecking order, the Uruguayan could be seen as a fringe player despite being vice-captain.
Araújo only made 25 appearances for the Catalans in their domestic treble-winning 2024–25 campaign. The 26-year-old was sometimes Flick’s fourth option at center back behind even Eric García.
It comes as no surprise, then, that Araújo has been linked with a move away from Catalonia this summer. The potential transfer could be a way for Barcelona to rake in some addition cash amid their highly publicized financial woes.
Yet Flick recently weighed in on Araújo’s future and seemingly put to rest any speculation of a pending departure.
“Why should [Araújo] leave?” Flick said. “There are a lot of rumors, but at the moment I have no signal from him or from any other player. I think we have a really good team, I think the quality in the team now is really good.”
Barcelona could instead be tempted to part ways with Andreas Christensen, who missed almost the entirety of last season due to injury. Araújo, though, would likely fetch a higher price given the vocal interest from Planes and Al-Ittihad.
The Uruguayan’s place at Barcelona will remain a precarious one even if a transfer is not in the cards this summer. After all, he has a very slim chance of beating out Martínez or Cubarsí in the upcoming season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘I Would Sign Him Tomorrow’—Al-Ittihad Chief Sends Barcelona Stern Transfer Warning.