Chelsea are reportedly looking at Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo as a replacement for Antonio Rudiger.
The Blues are stepping up efforts to try to keep Rudiger as he nears the end of his contract, but Araujo is being considered as a transfer target to come in and fix this problem position, according to Goal.
Araujo looks an impressive young talent after establishing himself as an important member of the Barcelona first-team, and it would be a blow for the Catalan giants to lose the 22-year-old.
Then again, if Araujo leaves Barca for Chelsea, there’s always the chance of Andreas Christensen replacing him at the Nou Camp.
Like Rudiger, the Denmark international is nearing the end of his contract at Stamford Bridge and has been strongly linked with Barcelona by Todo Fichajes.
Goal claim that Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are interested in Rudiger, who has been a hugely important member of Thomas Tuchel’s side.
CFC would surely rather just tie Rudiger down to a new deal, as there won’t be many better players out there than the Germany international, whose departure wouldn’t even leave them with a transfer fee to work with.
Araujo seems a decent option for the west London giants to consider, however, and the Uruguay international’s future is far from certain either as his Barca deal expires in 2023.