Arsenal are willing to pay ‘more than double’ what Barcelona have offered Ronald Araujo to secure his signature this summer.
That’s according to ABC, who say the Gunners have ‘already approached’ the centre-back about a move in the summer.
The centre-back has established himself as a key player at the Nou Camp in the last 18 months, with a series of impressive performances putting him on the radar of several clubs.
Those displays, plus the fact his current contract is set to expire in June 2023, means a whole host of clubs are looking at him this summer.
Barcelona are keen to sign him to a new deal but are yet to find an agreement on an extension, with the player left disappointed by what’s been offered to him so far.
ABC cover that and explain that while Barcelona have made a renewal a priority, they are yet to offer the player terms he believes he can sign up to.
Currently, Barcelona have offered €4m a year, but Araujo wants a contract in line with those offered to the likes of Ansu Fati and Pedri, something Barca are yet to get anywhere near.
Indeed, what they are willing to pay is a ‘far cry’ from what he can get in the Premier League, where Arsenal have already ‘approached him’.
They would ‘put more than double that amount’, the €4m from Barcelona, on the table to convince the player to move to the Emirates this summer. To put it simply, they’re willing to pay him more than €8m a year.
Barcelona naturally want to avoid losing their man, and so they are planning a meeting with his agent Flavio Perchman to try and bring the two sides closer together and ‘close a renewal’ that is taking longer than they would like.
Sources for ABC, though, insist there is ‘no intention’ of raising their current offer and seemingly not to the level that Arsenal are willing to go to.
That could put the Gunners in the driving seat for the defender’s signature if he decides he wants what he thinks he is worth away from the Nou Camp this summer.
