Chelsea move swiftly in response to a 'strong bid' from Manchester United for Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo.
According to Spanish publication Sport (h/t Mirror), Chelsea have approached Barcelona star Ronald Araujo to discuss the possibility of signing him in the 2022 summer transfer window.
The centre-back enjoyed a great spell last year and justified the Catalan club’s decision to promote him to the senior side. Amid the drop in performance of Samuel Umtiti and Clément Lenglet, the Uruguayan has earned the starting position alongside Gerard Piqué in defence.
The 22-year-old was a key player for former Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman, and the status hasn’t changed since the arrival of Xavi at the helm. It is fair to say that Araujo’s star is on the rise.
As Ronald Araujo’s current contract at Barcelona is set to end in 2023, Joan Laporta’s board have already initiated renewal discussions with the defender. However, both sides are yet to reach an agreement, giving interested parties the chance to make their move.
Chelsea have shown an interest in signing Araujo amid our own contract dilemma with defensive players in recent times. It is believed that Blues also got in touch with the Uruguayan star recently to discuss his interest in moving to Stamford Bridge next summer.
The Blues are in a difficult situation with the contract renewal of three crucial defenders up in the air. Even though the chance of binding club captain César Azpilicueta looks much more manageable, the same can’t be said about the others.
Andreas Christensen continues to draw attention from European heavyweights Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Fabrizio Romano recently revealed that the player will make his final decision soon. If he decides to move away from Stamford Bridge, Thomas Tuchel would be short of defensive options heading into the 2022/23 season.
Antonio Rüdiger hasn’t shown any interest to sign a new contract. So, if we end up losing him as well, a massive defensive rebuild will have to be undertaken in the off-season.
Therefore it is imperative that we look to land Ronald Araujo. Looking at the recent approach of our board, it seems the club is thinking about the long term, which should be the priority at this moment.
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