Man Utd enter race for Barcelona superstar
Cameron Smith
- 11 Dec 2023 08:11 CST
- 3 min read
Manchester United have expressed their desire to sign Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo, according to reports in Spain.
The Uruguay international is currently being chased by Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern Munich, with the former Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea head coach extremely keen on landing his services.
However, Bayern aren’t the only club interested in signing Araujo, who has garnered plenty of transfer speculation over the past few weeks.
The 24-year-old defender is regarded as one of the very best in the world and he was linked with a Barcelona exit during the summer, amid the club’s financial struggles.
Now, talk of a move away has intensified following Bayern’s widely-reported interest.
The Bavarians see Araujo as a key transfer target, but they could face competition from Man Utd for his signature.
As per Mundo Deportivo, the Red Devils have asked about the possibility of signing Araujo and have even offered to double his current salary in a bid to convince him to move to Old Trafford.
Furthermore, the report also details that every “big” club except Real Madrid have investigated his situation as Barcelona face the threat of losing one of their most prized assets.
Araujo wants to extend his Barcelona contract
Despite transfer interest from some of the top clubs across Europe, Araujo is not pushing to leave Camp Nou as things stand.
Fabrizio Romano recently “told CaughtOffside: “I want to start today’s column by again clarifying my information on the Ronald Araujo situation.
“While it’s true that he’s a player Bayern Munich really like, with Thomas Tuchel really insisting for the signing, this is far from a straightforward deal for them.
“As things stand, my understanding remains that Araujo’s priority is to stay at Barcelona, while Barca also consider him a key player, so talks over a new contract will happen soon.
“Araujo is ready to discuss a new deal with Barca, so they are on the same page and that’s what I expect will happen.
“Of course, Araujo is a top player so it’s normal that a big club like Bayern would be interested, but there has never really been any change to the situation, despite reports.
“The message from the player’s camp has always been that he’s very happy at Barca, so let’s see now how contract talks will progress - it’s one of the priorities for the Barca board.”
Therefore, it appears as though an extended Barcelona contract is deemed more likely than an exit as things stand.
