Ronald Araujo Camp Nou FC Barcelona
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Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Juventus have all been linked with Ronald Araujo in the past couple of months but Hansi Flick is not ready to part ways with the defender.
Ronald Araujo has had a tough season, playing in just 11 La Liga games for Barcelona. He battled injury throughout the campaign and because Barca have done so well without him, everyone was confident that Deco would put him up for sale and use that money elsewhere.
However, Hansi Flick, on Saturday, said that the 26-year-old will be a part of his squad next season and he will get a chance to prove himself.
Flick has told the press: “I’m counting on Ronald Araujo for next season. He has a contract, so why not?”. I’m happy with him. He had a difficult season because of injuries and the good form of Cubarsí and Íñigo. But I fully trust Ronald”.
Man United still have a chance to land Ronald Araujo:
Bayern Munich and Juventus cannot do much in this regard but Manchester United have an ace up their sleeve which they can use to tempt Barcelona into selling Ronald Araujo.
As per rumours, Barcelona have set a price tag of around €60 million which is in the same region that Man United want for Marcus Rashford.
Because Barcelona have a major interest in the England international, Man United could try to use Rashford in a straight swap deal with Ronald Araujo. Barca want to sign Rashford and even the 27-year-old sees this as his dream move.
Hansi Flick has figured out plans to set up his defence without Ronald Araujo and even if he remains at the club next season, the Uruguayan international will fall down the pecking order. In such a scenario, Deco and Laporta might find it more sensible to offload him and get someone like Marcus Rashford in return.
Flick wants to find a long-term replacement for Lewandowski and because Rashford can play as a centre-forward, this swap deal will help solve a lot of their problems.
Manchester United will have to axe several players in the summer because they have missed out on European football. This means important defenders like Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez could be sold along with Evans, Lindelof and Luke Shaw.
With so many defenders likely to leave, Ruben Amorim will want adequate cover and considering the club’s poor finances, Ronald Araujo will be a great choice.
It’s not certain that Barcelona will agree to this swap deal but among all the interested clubs, Manchester United still have a fair chance of signing the 26-year-old defender.