Man Utd want to agree deal for Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo | OneFootball

Manchester United are expected to sign a new central defender this summer as they look to replace Raphael Varane whose contract expires at the end of the month.

The club have been linked with several players, including Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo. Sport (page 12) claims the club are pushing hard to sign the Uruguayan star.

The Red Devils are prepared to practically double his current wages (from £114,000 to £228,000 per week) in order to convince him to move to Old Trafford this summer.

Barcelona are hoping to extend Araujo’s contract beyond June 2026. If they are unsuccessful, they will likely demand at least £63.5 million to sanction his sale.

United should not overspend on Araujo due to injury record

Araujo is one of the best central defenders in the Spanish La Liga. In the recent campaign, he completed 90 percent of his passes with almost three long balls per outing.

The 25-year-old won an impressive 73 percent of his aerial challenges. He also made 4.3 recoveries alongside 2.5 clearances. Araujo would be a fine replacement for Varane.

However, United need to be wary of his injury record. Since the start of the 2020/21 season, the Uruguayan has missed almost 75 games for club and country with injuries.

The ‘strong‘ defender has had a knack of picking up minor issues just like Varane during his career. With this in mind, United should not offer more than £45m to secure his services.

The club have had a tough time with defensive injuries over the past year. They must not spend over the odds on another centre-back who has been injury-prone since his move to Europe.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com, Sofascore.com & Capology.com.