Manchester United are reportedly leading the race to seal the transfer of Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo ahead of Chelsea and other clubs.
The Red Devils are supposedly prepared to pay around €30million for the Uruguay international, with Ralf Rangnick said to be a big fan of the player, according to El Nacional.
Araujo has impressed in the Barcelona first-team, but his future is in some doubt at the moment as his current contract runs out at the end of next season.
This means Barca could be vulnerable to offers coming in for the 22-year-old, with the likes of Man Utd and Chelsea likely to sense an opportunity to snap him up on the cheap.
According to El Nacional, United now seem to be showing the strongest interest in signing Araujo, and could pay €30m for him, which may end up looking like a real bargain.
The youngster could have an important role to play at Old Trafford, with Rangnick inheriting a struggling defence as Harry Maguire has struggled for form, while Raphael Varane’s fitness issues have held him back this season.
There would therefore surely be room for Araujo to come in and give MUFC something different in defence, and it wouldn’t be too surprising if he felt tempted to leave the Nou Camp right now.
Barcelona are not the force they once were, whereas the Premier League really seems to be going from strength to strength, even if United themselves are also facing similar struggles to Barca.
Chelsea would surely make more sense for Araujo from that point of view, as the Blues are building something very promising under Thomas Tuchel.
The west London giants also urgently need new defenders as Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta all head towards the ends of their contracts.