Thomas Tuchel prioritizes Barca's €70 million defender amidst Red Devils managerial talks

Initially signed from Boston River to succeed all-time legendary defender Gerard Pique, Ronald Araujo's repute at the Blaugrana club has been ever-increasing. Debuting for the senior team in the 2020/21 campaign, the young prodigy went on to mark 33 appearances for FC Barcelona, looking quite bright in the role. Since then, pairing alongside Pique till the club legend retired in 2022 and then emerging as the club's best defender, Araujo's rise at Barca has been remarkable.

Thomas Tuchel prioritizes Barca's €70 million defender amidst Red Devils managerial talks

In fact, his brilliant performances in the last few seasons not only made him a fan favorite at Barca but the center of attraction for many European Giants. As per reports, FC Barcelona had declined a move for their powerhouse Uruguayan defender when Bayern Munich had come close to signing him in January 2024. Even though Tuchel's Bayern had offered Barca two hefty proposals worth €70+20M, which they improved to €80+10M, the Blaugrana club refused.

However, recent reports suggest that the former Bayern manager, Thomas Tuchel, who has been a secret admirer of Ronald Araujo's defensive brilliance, hasn't moved on from him, yet. Tuchel, currently standing as the best candidate to replace Ten Hag at Manchester United, who have been struggling for quite a while now, views Araujo as key in his project if he arrives at Old Trafford.

As per reports from Fichajes, the former Bayern manager is only keen to consider the managerial role at Manchester United if the club agrees to bring in Barca's ace defender Araujo. While the Uruguayan ace has been the Blaugrana club's best defender for some time now, a move can be possible given the club's view on his transfer. In fact, reports suggest that President Laporta might be willing to agree to a move, given that it comes worth more than €80 million.

Even though currently, any transfer links for such a move of Ronald Araujo look difficult, with the player being injured, chances could fancy the defender's move as the January window approaches. If this turns out to be the case, FC Barcelona would need to find a suitable replacement for Araujo if he is to join Man United in the next transfer window.