Spanish Barcelona traveled to the Italian city of Udine to participate in the triangular tournament held tonight at the "Blue Energy" stadium, where the Catalan team will be one of the participants in the first edition of the "Friuli Venezia Giulia" Cup, as part of its preparations for the new 2026-2027 season.
Absent from coach Hans Flick's squad for the matches against Italian Udinese and English Nottingham Forest are Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo, who is on the verge of a loan move to Liverpool following swift negotiations, according to the Catalan newspaper "Sport".
Araujo, who missed the World Cup due to injury, had continued his rehabilitation program and also did not feature against Birmingham City.
He was expected to get a chance to play in Udine, but his impending departure to Anfield prevented that, with the official announcement of the deal anticipated within hours.
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Araujo arrived this morning at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper to collect his belongings and bid farewell to his teammates.
However, he was not the only player absent from the trip to Italy, as Marc Casadó and Roni Bardghji also did not travel, by decision of coach Hans Flick.
The list of absentees carries a clear message to Casadó and Bardghji that they are not part of Flick's plans for the new season, and they must seek a new club during the remainder of the summer transfer window.
Final touches meeting
Barcelona's sporting director Deco had met on Friday morning at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper with Christian Emil, Bardghji's agent, in a meeting during which the final touches were put on the Swedish player's departure from the Catalan club.
The player's agent was seen inside Barcelona's facilities before leaving, while Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed that Bardghji will not continue with the team.
Also absent from Barcelona's trip to Udine is Jofre Torrents, who is close to a transfer to Ajax Amsterdam in a sale deal, set to sign a four-year contract with the Dutch club.
"Sport" reported that Bardghji and Casadó were unaware of Flick's decision to exclude them and leave them in Barcelona, as the decision came suddenly, just before heading to the airport.
The newspaper added that the players knew they would not continue with Barça, but the decision to exclude them from the squad was unexpected and not everyone accepted it in the same way.
