A couple of days ago, El Chiringuito TV claimed that three Premier League clubs have tabled offers for Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo and one of them was Manchester United.
Man United along with Newcastle United and Man City had seemingly made offers to the central defender but now, as per a report from Football Espana, United seem to have cooled off their interest even though they want to sign a new central defender.
Ronald Araujo is one of the most important players in the Barcelona squad but their financial woes mean they could accept an offer for the centre-back. However, now that Manchester United have dropped off from this transfer news, City and Newcastle could be fighting a two-horse race.
Why are Man United not interested in signing Ronald Araujo?
Raphael Varane has left Manchester United so Ten Hag needs to add a new world-class central defender before the new season begins and someone like Ronald Araujo will be the ideal addition.
Having said that, the Red Devils have recently been linked with Bayern’s Matthijs de Ligt and we think Ten Hag is more inclined in signing his former Ajax star. There are rumours that the new Bayern manager is willing to let De Ligt leave and if that is true then United are most likely going to make him priority number one.
Apart from De Ligt, Man United have also been linked with Lille’s Leny Yoro and both these players will cost a lot less than the Barcelona defender. Should Ronald Araujo leave this summer, Barcelona are expecting to bag at least €100 million from his sale and we don’t think the new INEOS owners will be ready to spend so much on a single player.
Will Man City or Newcastle be able to land the Barcelona defender?
In the previous couple of transfer windows, Newcastle United have seen a lot of cash injection from their new owners but this summer they are desperate to balance their books so that they avoid a FFP breach.
The Magpies are planning to offload some important players including the likes of Guimaraes and Alexander Isak so it’s highly unlikely they will be ready to spend €100 million on Ronald Araujo.
Manchester City, on the other hand, won’t mind paying such a steep price for the Uruguay international but the big question is whether Guardiola needs a new centre-back with players like Akanji, Ruben Dias, Stones and Nathan Ake already in his squad. If Pep is looking to upgrade his centre-back department then Ronald Araujo will be the perfect fit but before the Barcelona man can arrive, City will first have to offload at least one existing CB.
Should Barcelona offer him a new contract?
If Barcelona hadn’t been in such massive financial distress, there’s no way they would have been ready to sell a player like Ronald Araujo. Also, this summer, they have gone back to the 1:1 rule which is why they need even more money to sign new players.
His contract with the Blaugrana expires in 2026 but if a club is ready to pay €100 million for him then Deco will surely allow him to leave, no matter what Hansi Flick has to say.
However, €100 million is not a small fee and if no one is ready to meet these demands then Barcelona will most probably open contract talks with the defender’s representatives while looking to cash in on someone like Kounde or Christensen.
