Manchester United are reportedly ready to make a large investment to secure the signing of Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo in the summer transfer window.
According to Spanish publication MARCA, Barcelona star Ronald Araujo has emerged as a transfer target for Premier League giants Manchester United, who are ready to make a big push to sign the defender.
Araujo joined Barcelona from Uruguayan outfit Boston River in 2018 and made his senior debut for the club in 2019 after playing for the B team for a year. The 22-year-old has established himself as a regular in the starting XI since last season and has easily been one of the biggest positives for the Blaugrana during these dark times at Camp Nou.
Araujo has been an ever-present figure in the team when fit and available this season, becoming one of the defensive leaders on the field. And his development has not gone unnoticed as some of the biggest clubs in England have shown an interest in the centre-half. Manchester City are keen on Araujo, while there have been links to Chelsea also.
Manchester United, too, have now entered the fray for the signing of Araujo as they look to make the most of his contract situation. The Red Devils signed Raphael Varane to bolster their backline last summer, but things have not worked out as planned for them. The Frenchman has had injury issues in his debut season in England, while Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire and Eric Bailly have not been consistent enough.
Furthermore, with Phil Jones expected to depart at the end of the season, there will be a vacancy in the defensive department that Manchester United will need to fill. It has led to links with multiple top centre-backs, with Juventus superstar Matthijs de Ligt emerging as a target, while there is also interest in Bayern Munich’s Niklas Sule, who will soon become a free agent.
At the same time, Manchester United are also keeping tabs on Araujo. The 22-year-old will enter the final year of his contract with Barcelona this summer. And the 20-time English champions are hoping to capitalise on the situation as talks over a new deal with the Catalans are yet to take place after he already rejected the club’s first offer of an extension.
Manchester United are preparing to go hard in their pursuit of the Uruguayan international and are prepared to make a large investment to secure his signing from Barcelona. With the Blaugrana intent on keeping hold of him and there being intense competition from other clubs, it will be anything but easy for United to sign Araujo in the summer.
