Barcelona have travelled to the Italian city of Udine for tonight's three-team tournament at the "Bluenergy" Stadium. The Catalan side line up as one of the participants in the first edition of the "Friuli Venezia Giulia" Cup, part of their build-up to the new 2026-2027 season.
Hansi Flick has left one big name out of his squad for the fixtures against Italy's Udinese and England's Nottingham Forest. Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo is on the verge of joining Liverpool on loan after swift negotiations, according to the Catalan newspaper "Sport".
Araujo, who missed the World Cup because of injury, had continued his rehabilitation programme and also sat out the game against Birmingham City.
A run-out in Udine looked likely until his imminent move to Anfield got in the way. The official announcement is expected within hours.
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Araujo arrived this morning at the Joan Gamper Sports City to collect his belongings and say goodbye to his teammates.
He wasn't the only absentee. Marc Casado and Roony Bardghji also stayed behind, by decision of coach Hansi Flick.
The message to Casado and Bardghji is clear. They do not figure in Flick's plans for the new season, and they must find a new club before the summer transfer window shuts.
A final-touches meeting
Deco, Barcelona's sporting director, met Cristian Emile, Bardghji's agent, on Friday morning at the Joan Gamper Sports City. The pair put the final touches to the Swedish player's departure from the Catalan club.
Bardghji's agent was seen inside Barcelona's facilities before leaving, and Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano confirmed the Swede will not continue with the team.
Jofre Torrents is another to miss the trip to Udine. He is close to joining Ajax Amsterdam in a sale, with a four-year contract at the Dutch club on the table.
"Sport" reported that Bardghji and Casado had no idea Flick meant to leave them out and keep them in Barcelona. The decision landed suddenly, just before the squad headed to the airport.
According to the newspaper, the players knew their futures lay elsewhere, but the exclusion caught them off guard. Not everyone took it the same way.