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Whilst a second offer for Jarrad Branthwaite is being developed, United are beginning to look at other options as back ups to reinforce the defence for next season.
The initial bid for the Everton defender fell short of the Toffees asking price of £80 million, with United offering under half of this to secure their star man. With the initial bid of £35 million rejected, United are not only revising their offer, but are also looking at who else could fit into the plans at Old Trafford and hold their own alongside Lisandro Martinez.
Last month, reports came in that United were looking at Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo to bolster the Red Devils defence, with the Catalan side looking for £68 million for the Uruguayan defender.
Araujo’s performances lately have been increasingly strong, gaining him the responsibility of third captain of the La Liga giants, as well as a call up to Uruguay’s Copa America 2024 squad.
So far, Araujo started for Uruguay in their 3-1 win over Panama, putting in an extremely strong showing, however was replace with Atletico Madrid’s Jose Maria Gimenez at half time.
Whilst concentrating on international duty, the centre-back is expected to look at contract renewals on his return to Camp Nou, however interest from United is throwing a spanner in the works for Barca.
Barca Universal report that the La Liga club regard their captain as key to the squad’s continuity so are keen to reach a new agreement, however United’s looming presence is affecting this dramatically.
The Red Devils are offering the Uruguayan defender double the wages that are on offer at Barca, with the Premier League club certain of Araujo being a safe investment to bring to Old Trafford.
Despite this, no initial bid is expected for the 25-year-old until the outcome of his contract negotiations is understood. If Araujo is inclined to leave the Spanish club, then United are keen to push their efforts for his signature this summer.
United won’t need to wait long for this though, with the club looking to resolve the issue by 30th June, with the defender having been offered a contract proposal that seems to be considered insignificant given the player’s role at the club. However, due to Barca’s salary cap problems, the club is limited to what they can offer, a difficulty which is not felt at Old Trafford.
With only a matter of days before the 30th June, United will not have to wait long to see Araujo’s response, triggering a United bid or leading the Red Devils to look elsewhere.
