Barcelona are "unlikely" to pursue Chelsea centre-back Antonio Rudiger, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano. Romano made the remark after confirming via Twitter that the Blaugrana are close to extending the contract of teenage defender Ronald Araujo.Ronald Arajo is expected to sign a new deal with Barcelona very soon after today's meetings. Only the length of the contract will be reviewed at the last meeting; it will most likely be until June 2026. Arajo will, without a doubt, remain as he has always desired."The Italian followed up with a tweet on Rudiger's ties to the Catalan giants. The extension of Araujo's contract and the arrival of Andreas Christensen next summer, according to Romano, might put a stop to the Blaugrana's chase of Rudiger. He wrote on Twitter:
"Barcelona have not made an official proposal for Toni Rudiger, only direct communication with his agents - it is now thought improbable as Christensen will sign for Barça and Arajo will 100% extend his contract."
Romano also mentioned in his tweet that Araujo's contract had a release clause added to it, though he didn't clarify what it was. He expressed himself as folloRonald Arajo's new contract has already been signed, with a release clause attached."
Also via Twitter, the Italian stated in March that Barcelona had completed agreements for Chelsea's Christensen and AC Milan's Franck Kessie. As Romano put it:
"Barça president Laporta confirms: 'We've completed two acquisitions for the upcoming season: one is a midfielder, and the other is a center-back.' However, I am not permitted to divulge their names.' Of course, both Franck Kessié and Andreas Christensen have signed contracts."
Chelsea's Antonio Rudiger is expected to leave this summer.
While Barcelona may have lost interest in Rudiger, the centre-back is still expected to leave Chelsea as a free agent this suAccording to Sports Illustrated, the German was connected with Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Madrid earlier this year. However, according to The Sun, Rudiger has agreed to a deal with Juventus, while Manchester United is also interested in signing him.
Since joining Chelsea in 2017, the 29-year-old has appeared in 192 matches for the club in all competitions. Rudiger has won the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League, the FA Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup during that time.mmer.ws:
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