Chelsea and Manchester United have both been linked with Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo but it looks like the Blues have set the ball rolling already.
As per Mundo Derportivo, the Blues have already made an offer to the South American centre-back in the hopes that Barcelona will allow him to leave in the coming months.
Ronald Araujo is one of Barcelona’s most prized assets which is why they are probably looking to cash in on him and then use the money to rebuild their squad. However, the Catalans have made it clear that they are not going to entertain an offer of less than €100 million for the defender because his current market value is €70 million and he still has two more years left on his contract.
Will Chelsea be able to sign Ronald Araujo before Man United?
Chelsea are actively looking to bring in a long-term replacement for Thiago Silva who has left the club and if they are willing to pay €100 million then Barcelona will not dare refuse them.
The kind of financial mess they are in, €100 million is a lot of money for Barca and with adequate cover in the form of Kounde and Christensen, Laporta can afford to let go of Ronald Araujo.
Manchester United can also afford to pay up for a talent like Araujo but we don’t think they are that serious about signing the 25-year-old. United have been linked with other central defenders like Benfica’s Antonio Silva and Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite and we think these two are at the top of their summer wishlist.
Without UCL football, Man United know it will be very tough for them to convince a player like Araujo to join them which is why they are not looking to waste unnecessary time.
Will the Uruguayan international be a sensible signing for Chelsea?
Ronald Araujo has been the backbone of Barcelona’s defence in recent seasons and had they not had their financial woes, there’s no way they would have put him up for sale.
He’s missed a few games this season due to a muscle injury but still, the 25-year-old managed to play in 30 La Liga games. In almost 2000 minutes of league football, the centre-back has won more than 80% of his tackles along with 72% of aerial duels.
Araujo has been dribbled past just six times in 30 matches plus he’s also made 12 interceptions and six blocks. Up front, he’s chipped in with 3 goal contributions and he’s been dispossessed only four times throughout the league campaign.
Without a shadow of a doubt, a player like Ronald Araujo will help elevate Chelsea’s defence next season and he alongside Axel Disasi and Badiashile can bring a lot of stability and calmness to the backline.
