Aston Villa are reportedly keen on Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo, but no official proposal has yet been submitted.
The 25-year-old joined the Catalan giants in 2018 and has since gone on to make 150 appearances for the senior side while earning 16 caps for Uruguay.
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Having continued to play a key role for Barcelona this season, it’s a surprise to hear Villa linked with a potential transfer swoop, but according to Sport, both Unai Emery and Monchi have set their sights on the defensive ace.
It’s reported that the pair informed Barcelona of their intention to present a formal transfer proposal for Araujo if we qualified for the Champions League on a recent visit to Spain, and having since finished fourth in the Premier League to seal a seat at Europe’s top table next season, it remains to be seen if we follow through that plan.
Important details are touted too, as it’s suggested that the Villa boss has given the green light for Diego Carlos to go on the market to help facilitate a move, but we’ve made it clear that we won’t be making an offer that meets a previously touted €80 valuation for Araujo.
Critically, no concrete proposals have been made as of yet, but with Barcelona potentially needing to sell before June 30 to help balance their books, it remains to be seen if there are any decisive developments in the coming weeks.
Villa are also likely to be dealing with our own financial constraints this summer, and so it’s imperative that we spend sensibly and add real quality to the squad when we complete signings to help us take that next step.
It may well need some difficult decisions in relation to sales too though in order to balance the books and make space in the squad, and this is a perfect example of that with Carlos establishing himself as a key figure in Emery’s plans this past season.
Time will tell if we receive any offers for the Brazilian centre-half and if that in turn allows us to step up our interest in Araujo, but it promises to be a fascinating summer as we look to ensure we have a stronger group come the end of the transfer window to ensure we’re even more competitive next season and beyond.
