Manchester United could buy Ronald Araujo for as little as €50 million | OneFootball

Manchester United have received a financial boost in their pursuit of in-demand Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo.

In February, The Peoples Person noted that Man United were already reportedly plotting the summer transfer of Araujo, who has played a limited role in Barcelona’s La Liga campaign, with the team in a commanding position to win the competition with four games to go.

Then, near the end of March, it was reported that Barcelona were prepared to part ways with the centre-back, handing United some hope in their pursuit.

With interest from the likes of Bayern Munich building, United appeared ready to submit a hefty bid of €80 million in order to beat any rivals to the Uruguayan’s signature.

But although this price might seem hefty for United given their limited transfer budget, it now appears that they may be able to sign the Barca star on more favourable terms.

This morning, Fichajes reported that Barca are willing to part ways with the player, even dropping his price tag as a result.

“FC Barcelona has decided to make a move on Ronald Araujo following his performance against Inter Milan in the Champions League,” the report confirmed.

“His understated performance on one of the club’s most painful nights in recent years has led to a change in the board’s stance, which has opted to lower its financial demands and listen to offers starting at €50 million,” the article continued.

“The change of stance is due to both sporting and financial reasons. The debacle against Inter, with Araujo being one of the most criticised for his lack of decisiveness in key moments, accelerated an internal reflection in the Camp Nou offices.”

“His performance this season has not met expectations, and despite his importance in the dressing room, the club believes his sale could be a strategic opportunity to ease financial tensions,” the report concluded.

Araujo has played in just 10 La Liga matches all season, keeping just one clean sheet and averaging 1.2 tackles per game.

Still, he has shown some promise in other aspects of his gameplay, winning a commanding 61% of his total duels while committing zero errors leading to a shot.

While Araujo has been far from his best, at 26 years of age, he still has plenty of time to turn his form around and become a player that United can rely on over the long term.

After all, United’s back line is filled with ageing players, including Harry Maguire, Jonny Evans, Victor Lindelof, and Luke Shaw, meaning that some fresh blood would be welcome.

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