Manchester United are reportedly keen on signing Barcelona star Ronald Araujo this summer, as per the Spanish outlet AS.
The Red Devils have failed to build upon following a promising campaign under Erik ten Hag’s guidance last term. They have struggled this season and are currently sixth in the league.
Man Utd are already out of the race to qualify for the Champions League next campaign, however, they have managed to reach the final of the FA Cup so they have an opportunity to finish the campaign by winning silverware.
Amid this current situation, the Red Devils have already started planning to reinforce their squad this summer to turn their fortune around next season. It has been suggested that with Raphael Varane, Jonny Evans, Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof all likely to leave at the end of this season, United are looking to revamp their backline by signing more than one centre-back.
Numerous names have been linked with a move to Old Trafford with Jean-Clair Todibo, Antonio Silva and Jarrad Branthwaite being among them, but Araujo is now emerging as a key option.
Araujo to Man Utd
According to the report by AS(via PressReader), Man Utd are keen on signing the Uruguayan and they have ‘bet heavily’ on him. The report further claims that the record Premier League champions have already held talks with the player’s representatives and have proposed to ‘greatly improve’ his salary to persuade him to join the club.
AS also states that after getting United’s offer, Araujo’s agent has asked the Blaugrana to improve the defender’s wage to keep him at the club. It has been suggested that Araujo has been affected by this off-field situation as he has made two bad errors in recent matches.
The Spanish outlet states that Barcelona are currently in financial difficulties and need to raise funds by selling some stars to balance the books. So they could cash-in on the South American and if that were to happen then Man Utd could manage to secure his signature this summer.
However, AS says that Bayern Munich are also keen on signing him and previously made an attempt to secure his signature in January. So, the record Premier League champions are set to face tough competition from the Bavarian club in getting any potential deal done for him.
Araujo – valued at around £60m by Transfermarkt – is a talented player and could be a shrewd signing for Man Utd if they purchase him. However, it is going to be interesting to see whether the Old Trafford club eventually opt to make a concrete approach to sign him if he leaves Barcelona this summer.
