Man Utd 'willing' to pay big transfer fee to sign 'outstanding' £116k-a-wk star - report
Manchester United are likely to make multiple changes to the first-team squad after a disappointing Premier League campaign where they finished eighth in the table.
A new central defender could be one of the main priorities, considering they are set to lose the services of Raphael Varane when his contract expires at the end of June.
The Red Devils have been linked with several names in recent months. Araujo is one of those and Sport (page 9) report that they are monitoring him very closely.
The Uruguayan has one foot out of Barcelona with the club yet to convince him over a new deal.
The Catalan giants have already been in contact with his agent, but their contract proposal is quite lower than what other clubs including United can offer on the table this summer.
It is added that the Red Devils have been interested in one of the ‘outstanding’ centre-backs in European football. They are ‘willing to offer’ significant ‘sums of money’ to Barcelona as well as the player.
United handed opportunity to sign Araujo
The Red Devils have been long-term admirers of Araujo. They were initially interested in signing him in the summer of 2022 before he extended his stay at Barcelona.
The club have continued to be linked with him and they have a fresh opportunity to land his signature by taking advantage of the financial concerns at the Blaugrana.
The La Liga heavyweights reportedly has a market value of €80 million (£68m), but United will be hoping to sign him for less as Barcelona need to balance their books by June 30.
Araujo would be a fine replacement for Varane. Similar to the Frenchman, he is a right-sided centre-back. He has a passing accuracy of 90 per cent in La Liga this term.
The 25-year-old has won 73 per cent of his aerial challenges alongside 2.5 clearances and 4.1 ball recoveries per game. He is currently in the prime of his career.
United’s only concern could be his injury record. He has the knack for picking up minor niggles and this is a reason why the club should not spend over €50m (£43m) on him.
In terms of wages, the Red Devils could easily convince Araujo with a good pay rise. He currently earns £116,000 per week. United could hand him around £200,000 weekly to join them.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com, Capology.com & Sofascore.com