Manchester United have ‘already approached’ Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo about a move this summer and are wiling to better what the Catalans have offered him to renew his deal.
That’s according to ABC, who say Manchester United are ready to offer the defender the kind of money he thinks he is worth.
Araujo has established himself as a key player for Barcelona over the last 18 months, with a series of impressive performances in defence, particularly since Xavi’s arrival.
The La Liga giants are keen to keep him and get him signed to a new deal, with his current contract due to expire in 2023.
That means they have to secure a new contract this summer or sell the defender as he would be available on a free transfer the following year and free to negotiate with clubs in Europe come January 2023.
They say that currently, Barcelona have only offered Araujo €4m a year, a figure he considers far too low as he wants to match the sums earned by Pedri and Ansu Fati, who recently signed new deals at the club.
€4m is too low and a ‘far cry’ from what is being offered in the Premier League, where Manchester United have already ‘approached’ the player and made it clear they will put ‘more than double that amount on the table’.
To put it bluntly, United have told Araujo that they will give him €8m+ plus a year if he moves to Old Trafford.
The defender would like to stay at the Nou Camp as he is happy there and likes what he has seen from the developing project under Xavi. However, he wants to be paid what he thinks he is worth, and Barcelona aren’t offering that yet.
The club’s plan is to meet with his agent Flavio Perchman again to try and bring the two parties closer together, but sources at the club insist there is ‘no intention’ of raising their offer much more.
That, therefore, suggests the door is open for Manchester United to get their man if he decides to earn the money he wants away from Barcelona this summer.
