Ronald Araujo's intentions for Barcelona future amid Man Utd interest

Ronald Araujo has no plans to leave Barcelona in the coming months despite tentative interest from Manchester United, 90min understands.

The 24-year-old has established himself as one of Europe's finest centre-backs in recent years and scouts from a number of top sides have followed his development closely. Reports in Germany named Bayern Munich as suitors this winter and those same outlets have added United's name to the mix.

While United are admirers of Araujo, sources have confirmed to 90min that a transfer is currently unlikely for a number of reasons.

The primary stumbling block is Araujo's current happiness at Barcelona. He wants to stay and continue working with Xavi and Barca officials also have no desire to entertain offers, recognising his status as a key player for the team. An extension to his contract, which runs until 2026, is a real possibility.

United are not expected to pursue a centre-back this month either. Outgoings are the primary focus at Old Trafford, while a new striker will be looked at only if money can be freed up and the right target emerges in the next two weeks.

The summer window will likely bring a move for a new defender but Araujo is seen as a difficult target for United. Sources close to the situation have played down the prospect of a departure from Camp Nou.

Erik ten Hag
United will look for defensive reinforcements this summer / Richard Sellers/Allstar/GettyImages
  • LISTEN TO THE LATEST EPISODE OF THE PROMISED LAND, 90MIN'S MAN UTD PODCAST: SIR JIM RATCLIFFE SPEAKS & CAN MARTINEZ SAVE UNITED'S SEASON?

There are plenty of hurdles to overcome before United can start drawing up plans for the summer transfer window. The Red Devils are still awaiting the final completion of Sir Jim Ratcliffe's share purchase, at which point decisions will be made over the recruitment team responsible for United's transfer Business.

On the pitch, United would also need a better idea of their Champions League prospects before trying to appeal to elite targets like Araujo. Erik ten Hag's side sit seventh in the Premier League as it stands and face a battle to qualify for Europe's top comPetition.

Should a move for Araujo remain challenging, United are unlikely to persist. Having wasted large parts of previous windows chasing Frenkie de Jong who, like Araujo, has never too actively looked to leave Barcelona, there is an awareness that they cannot afford to spend too long on targets who do not have a serious desire to move.

INEOS feel like Manchester United have been too invested in targets they can't attain and want to be more decisive in their decision-making. This is likely to lead to less long-running transfer sagas and more early Business in windows going forward once a new recruitment team and structure is established.

READ THE LATEST NEWS FROM 90MIN'S TALKING TRANSFERS TEAM

feed

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Marquez didn’t want to battle Martin in Qatar to not hurt his MotoGP title hopes

Image
Martin endured a torrid grand prix in Qatar on Sunday, as a problem with his rear tyre meant he struggled to 10th while title rival Francesco Bagnaia finished second. The Pramac rider is now 21 points adrift of Bagnaia in the championship, having cut his lead down to seven 24 hours earlier after winning the sprint, and later raged against Michelin for 'stealing' the title from him. Martin found himself at one stage fighting with Honda's Marquez before the eight-time world champion eventually finished down in 11th. Speaking after the race, Marquez said he could see Martin was struggling with rear grip but didn't want to fight him too hard as the points gained wouldn't have "changed my life". "I did the whole race behind Martin," Marquez said. "At the beginning I saw that he was pulling hard and we were catching the group a little bit, but then I saw that he was starting to lose quite a bit of speed compare...
Read more

How Tottenham could line up with Timo Werner

Image
Tottenham Hotspur are signing Timo Werner on an initial loan deal until the end of the season. What a sentence. Go back two-and-a-half years to when Chelsea won the Champions League. Their starting front three now all play for rival clubs, with Kai Havertz at Arsenal and Mason Mount at Manchester United. What's even stranger about Spurs' move for Werner is that, six months removed from the soul-crushing sale of Harry Kane, the mood has hardly ever been better in N17. Ange Postecoglou has been on the lookout for another versatile forward and in Werner he has a player capable of filling various holes despite his deficiencies. Where will Werner play for Tottenham? Here are the different ways he could be deployed. Coming in off the left Werner has pace to burn / Masashi Hara/GettyImages Werner's most likely route into the starting XI comes on the left wing, particularly with Son Heung-min currently away at the Asian Cup with South Korea. Though initially signed by Chelsea as a ...
Read more

National Embroidery Month (February 2024)

Image
Quick facts When is it? Every February Tagged as Hobbies & Activities Items & Things What's the hashtag? #NationalEmbroideryMonth When was it founded? 1992 Have we missed something? Embroidery isn’t something just Grandma does anymore! Needlecrafts and handicrafts like embroidery, cross stitch, quilting, sewing and so much more have been making a comeback in recent decades.  With a departure from fast fashion and disposable products, and a movement toward arts & crafts and sustainability, National Embroidery Month is just one of the ways that this handiwork is celebrated. History of National Embroidery Month While modern machine embroidery techniques were a result of the industrial revolution, historians believe the craft of hand embroidery may date all the way back to 30,000 BC! Evidence shows that humans from so long ago were engaged with this art by using plant threads or animal sinews to sew decorations into garments or other items using ro...
Read more