Real Madrid Transfers: 5 players to try and sign from rival clubs

4. FC Barcelona CB Ronald Araujo

The one obvious name among Rival Clubs is of course FC Barcelona, the fiercest and most well-known rivalry in club football. A faceoff between these two clubs is not just a game of football, there are bragging rights at stake and it is a fixture colored with socio-political influences. It is only natural that there are so many memorable moments from El Clasicos, as the fixture is commonly knowns.

So far in the season, Real Madrid has faced Barcelona twice and got the better of the Catalans both times by narrow margins. The upcoming fixture in March promises to be an exciting one after the resurgence of the Catalan side under the new manager, Xavi Hernandez.

The player I am picking from the Catalan squad is Ronald Araujo, a 22-year old Uruguayan central defender who saved Barcelona from embarrassment numerous times in the season. Especially before the winter signings were made, when Barcelona looked far from being the competitive club they usually are. Araujo was already linked to Real Madrid in an article by AS that stated that Real Madrid is closely monitoring Araujo’s situation. His contract runs until 2023 and there are been a shortage of funds for an extension after the massive business in the winter transfer window.

Real Madrid and Barcelona signed a non-aggression pact immediately after this rumor spread out. Florentino Perez himself had to deny the rumors but that doesn’t change the fact that the signing of Araujo would benefit Real Madrid who is looking for a center-back. Araujo has maintained good numbers in the season with three goals in LaLiga, an average of 1.1 tackles per game, and a decent 2.5 long balls completed per game, per WhoScored. He is the one player in Barcelona’s squad who could be of great use to Madrid.