Barcelona stalwart’s renewal could jeopardise summer plans to sign title-winning defender

Barcelona have been pursuing the signing of Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah since last summer.

Having failed to lure him away from the Bundesliga champions in 2024, the Blaugrana have made significant strides towards securing his signing this year on a free transfer when his contract expires in the summer.

However, recent developments with a certain Ronald Araujo could alter the trajectory of the German international defender’s future and take him away from Barcelona.

Tah keeping a close eye on Araujo developments

Indeed, according to Toni Juanmarti of SPORT, Jonathan Tah is closely monitoring the developments surrounding Ronald Araujo at Barcelona.

The Uruguayan’s potential move to Juventus had seemed like a near certainty, which would have paved the way for the Bayer Leverkusen star’s signing in June.

However, the current situation complicates matters as Araujo has decided to continue at the club and there is a possibility of him signing a new contract with the Catalan giants as well.

With the potential of Araujo renewing his contract and Tah’s arrival, Barcelona would find themselves with five centre-backs – Pau Cubarsi, Araujo, Inigo Martinez, Andreas Christensen, and Tah, all vying for a starting spot.

While any top club needs depth in their squad, this situation would be difficult to manage.

Even if Christensen, who has lost some standing, were to leave, the prospect of either Tah or Araujo playing a secondary role in big matches would be challenging – especially given that Cubarsi is considered untouchable.

Araujo’s renewal could halt Tah move

Tah is keen on joining Barcelona, but he will want to be a starter wherever he goes. It remains to be seen whether he would still want to join the club, given the potential difficulty in securing regular playing time.

More so, when he has offers from other clubs from the Premier League as well as Bayern Munich, where he would likely be a regular starter. Although the prospect of playing for Barça excites Tah, he also needs to make a pragmatic decision about his future.

If Araujo’s renewal is finalised in the coming weeks, it could put a temporary halt on Tah’s move.

This does not mean the operation would be cancelled entirely, as Barcelona could expedite the departure of other central defenders. However, the timing would be crucial, as the 28-year-old is unlikely to wait until June to finalise his next club.

What seems certain is that if Araujo extends his contract with Barcelona, the potential signing of the German will depend on several other factors.