Chelsea open talks with large offer for Barcelona defender | OneFootball

Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo has been linked with a number of sides in recent months, as he profiles as the prime candidate to exit the Catalan capital for a big fee this summer. There has been some debate over whether reported Aston Villa interest is real, while Bayern Munich and Manchester United have been in contact with his agents in 2024 too. Now Chelsea have appeared on the scene too.

As per MD, Chelsea have opened talks with Araujo with a major offer for the Uruguayan to improve his circumstances. The 24-year-old has always maintained that he is happy at Barcelona, but contract talks have stalled for the last few months, with his deal up in 2026, and has not ruled out a move.

Seemingly United told Araujo that they would move for him if he manifested a desire to leave Barcelona, while Bayern held talks with him in January, albeit a move did not come to fruition. The German giants remain on the scene, but Thomas Tuchel’s replacement will need to greenlight any deal.