Speaking at the unveiling of Ronald Araujo's 'Over The Top' documentary, Barca president Joan Laporta claimed he will give the defender a lifetime contract at the club.
The question is, can Barcelona truly sign a player for life?
The answer is yes, but it's crucial to understand how such a contract works.
A lifetime contract is still a contract and doesn't stop a player from leaving — or the club from transferring him. It simply protects the player's value making sure he can never leave as a free agent.
What's more, the details of a lifetime contract are more intricate for both the player and the club. For example, the player must accept a certain fixed salary and agree on what happens when he can no longer compete at a certain level.
An example is Andres Iniesta. In 2017, Barca handed the Spaniard a lifetime contract but Iniesta emotionally left the club barely a year after that to continue his playing career in Japan.
In Iniesta's case, Barca reached an agreement preventing him from joining another European team that could potentially face the Blaugrana. Thus, Iniesta was free to continue his career outside Europe. He took that option in 2018.
However, Iniesta was 33 when he signed that deal and already in the twilight of his career. Araujo is eight years younger which makes such a deal complicated at the moment.
Saul Niguez of Atletico Madrid agreed a similar gesture by signing a nine-year contract which remains valid today.
Araujo's entourage would rather settle for a five-year deal that's easier to wriggle from.
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