Manchester United eyeing 22-year-old Barcelona star whose contract expires in 2023 | OneFootball

Manchester United battle Liverpool and Real Madrid for Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo

According to the Spanish outlets Sport [Print Edition] and AS (h/t The Mirror), Manchester United will face off against Liverpool and Real Madrid for the services of Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo. He has been rock solid at the back since making the jump to the Blaugrana first-team squad.

Araujo will enter the final year of his contract with Barca at the end of the 2021-22 season. Naturally, his market value will drop, so they might be forced to sell him for cheap rather than risk losing him for a free transfer next year. The player for his part is willing to stay at the Nou Camp, provided his contract demands are met.

The Catalan club’s financial struggles are well documented, so they may find it difficult to renew the 22-year-old’s deal due to La Liga wage cap rules. They had to renew Samuel Umtiti’s contract at a lower age to register new signing Ferran Torres which indicates the degree of their current woes.

The Uruguayan wants to earn similar wages as his peers of the same age, but talks have been stalled as a result of the wage cup. Man United have entered the transfer race alongside the Reds but, the latter have contacted him to discuss the possibility of a future move. Real have registered their interest and will try to beat off the competitors but, they are at a disadvantage for obvious reasons.

Araujo to Man Utd?

Despite the addition of Raphael Varane in the summer, we have continued to leak goals even with a resurgent David De Gea in goal. Harry Maguire has received a ton of criticisms for his poor displays, while Victor Lindelof is not a consistent performer.

Eric Bailly is down the pecking order and has struggled with consistency whereas, Phil Jones cannot be relied upon despite his impressive showing against Wolves. Given these issues, it becomes all the more apparent that the defence needs a rebuild.

While the instability in midfield has played a role in our defensive problems, we cannot afford to ignore the lack of quality in the defensive end. Araujo would be a great signing as he has proven his worth with the Catalans at the top level and will only improve in the years to come.

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Real’s interest can be crossed out since Barcelona would not want to strengthen their bitter rivals, which leaves Jurgen Klopp’s team in our way. They would pose trouble for us, but we can offer more minutes than the Merseyside club who already have four excellent players in the position to choose from.

But there is always the possibility of the Spanish side renewing the Barca star’s contract in the coming months. Ousmane Dembele is increasingly likely to leave, having ignored the latest offer for a new deal. His potential departure could free up the wage bill, which would massively dent our chances of signing Araujo.