Man Utd suffer setback as Aston Villa prepare offer to sign £68m target - report

Manchester United could miss out on signing Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo as Aston Villa consider a surprise transfer offer.

Araujo has been on the Red Devils’ radar for the past few years. He was linked with a move to Old Trafford in 2022 before putting pen-to-paper on a new contract.

The Uruguayan has re-emerged as a target for United in the last few weeks. Sport recently reported that the club will submit a formal offer for Araujo if he decides to leave Barcelona.

The same publication claim that Villa are now planning an audacious move for him. Manager Unai Emery and sporting director Monchi were in contact with the La Liga club last month.

With Champions League football now secured, the Midlands outfit are prepared to make a big outlay to sign Araujo as a replacement for Diego Carlos, who has been put up for sale.

The central defender currently has a market value of around €80 million (£68m), but Villa are quite clear that they won’t pay such a huge transfer fee.

Barcelona seem desperate with a big-money sale required by June 30 to balance their financial books.

Missing out on Araujo to Villa would be a setback

The Red Devils are set to part ways with Raphael Varane when his contract expires on June 30.

The club will need a marquee replacement for the World Cup winner and we have previously mentioned that Araujo would be an ideal transfer candidate.

His injury record is somewhat concerning, but the Uruguayan would still be a good addition to the squad with his strong ball-playing ability and defensive skills.

Villa’s interest has come out of the blue and in our opinion, it would be a setback for the Red Devils if Emery’s side were to win the race for Araujo’s services.

Barcelona may have to compensate on the price with their Financial Fair Play concerns and they could be willing to sell him for around €60m (£51m) this summer.

Villa have the financial boost with Champions League qualification and it remains to be seen whether United can provide stiff competition in the player’s pursuit.

While the Red Devils are expected to go on a spending spree, the main concern is whether they can afford to land Araujo before June 30 due to their own financial issues.

The club are close to breaching the Profitability and Sustainability spending limits and may need player sales first to balance their books before making a move for Araujo.