da bet7k： Erik ten Hag will be scratching his head at how his side can go from such a dominant display in the week, to such a disastrous afternoon last weekend. This inconsistency has haunted Manchester United this season and they currently sit in sixth on 27 points in the Premier League table.
da wazamba： The Red Devils' most recent league match was an embarrassing 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford to Bournemouth. The visitors punished United on the break constantly and they could have had five if it wasn’t for two goals being ruled out.
With Raphael Varane’s unreliability, Victor Lindelof’s poor performances and Lisandro Martinez still being injured, a defender is unsurprisingly on Ten Hag’s wish list.
Man Utd transfers latest – Ronald Araujo
According to reports in Spain, Manchester United have asked about the availability of Ronald Araujo, even offering double his salary to acquire the Uruguayan.
As per Transfermarkt, Araujo has a current market value of £60m, but Barcelona would demand a much higher fee due to his importance to the Spanish side with the report stating Bayern Munich could even offer somewhere in the region of £100m.
However, Barcelona are not fazed by the transfer interest of their star defender, as he has a contract until 2026 and a mind-boggling £870m release clause. A move this winter is highly unlikely.
Why Araujo is one of the best in the world
Barcelona boss, Xavi, previously labelled Araujo as “one of the best centre backs in the world” and his statistics from this season are certainly world-class.
Due to his club dominating the ball in almost every game, the defender isn’t continuously tested defensively, but his on-the-ball ability is top-tier, as shown by the table below.
Progressive passes
5.86
Top 8%
Progressive carries
1.91
Top 6%
Passes completed
61.79
Top 15%
Passes into final third
7.17
Top 6%
Passes completed (long)
5.86
Top 11%
The potential signing of Araujo would take United to another level, both in and out of possession. His ability to step into the midfield and progress the ball via carries or passes is priceless. You only need to look at how much United have missed Martinez in that regard since his injury.
Crucially, the centre-back is extremely fast which allows him to sweep and recover quickly, the perfect profile to partner Martinez or Harry Maguire at left centre-half. He is also dynamic and athletic, quite similar to William Saliba at Arsenal.
The Uruguay international is also versatile which can help Ten Hag be more fluid with his tactics in game. This season, he has featured at right-back five times and has often become a trusty full-back against word class left-wingers, especially when Barcelona have had to deal with Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid.
Furthermore, at just 24 years old, he is a commanding individual who has recently taken on the captain’s armband in the absence of Marc-Andre ter Stegen. This leadership and character is missing at United currently and a calm, controlling centre-back would make the side much more defensively secure.
There is no doubt that Araujo is an incredible footballer, but his price tag and importance to Barcelona makes a move away unlikely. Clubs may be put off by the fee, especially considering he is slightly injury-prone, suffering 12 injuries since 2020. Either way, this has the potential to be a game-changing signing for those of a Red Devils persuasion.