Man Utd will make an offer to bring Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo to Old Trafford if they qualify for the Champions League, according to reports.
The Red Devils are having a nightmare season with Ruben Amorim’s side already guaranteed to finish as the worst Man Utd to play in the Premier League.
Man Utd dropped to 15th in the Premier League table on Saturday as Everton went above them with a 2-2 draw against Ipswich Town, but they have the opportunity to move up to 13th with a win.
There is absolutely zero chance that the Red Devils can qualify for Europe, let alone the Champions League, from a Premier League finish but there is another way for Amorim’s men.
If Man Utd win the Europa League then they will qualify for next season’s Champions League and the Red Devils have a good chance with Amorim’s outfit leading 3-0 on aggregate after the first leg of their semi-final against Athletic Bilbao.
And if they manage to win the Europa League then reports in Spain are claiming that Amorim ‘wants’ Araujo as his first summer signing with the Man Utd boss having ‘rekindled hope’.
If Champions League qualification happens then Man Utd are ‘planning an ambitious transfer window’ with Barcelona centre-back Araujo ‘one of the names highlighted in red’.
The strong performances of Inigo Martinez and Pau Cubarsi ‘opens a possible exit window in the summer’ and Araujo ‘fits Amorim’s philosophy: dominant physique, tactical awareness, and competitive spirit.’
The Man Utd boss wants to make the Uruguay international the ‘cornerstone of United’s new defensive project’ and ‘would be willing to submit an offer in excess of €70 million, aware that his release clause is high and that Barca won’t let him go easily’.
Araujo’s ‘entourage has kept a low profile, but it’s clear the lack of continuity is causing him concern’ and ‘if Barca doesn’t guarantee him that role, he could consider a change of scenery’.
Former Chelsea forward Tore Andre Flo insists that Man Utd are lacking “players who worked really hard for each other” like they used to have.
When asked what the biggest difference is between the Man Utd side managed by Sir Alex Ferguson and the sides since, Flo told goldenpanda.com: “I always felt when we played Man United, they were a big group of solid friends – maybe not friends, but players who worked really hard for each other and it wasn’t acceptable to get beaten.
“They didn’t accept defeat. They always came back. They fought for each other. It wasn’t always that they had the absolute best players. At least, not if you looked at them individually. But they fought for each other and always came back, they were always difficult to beat and they never slipped up in a way.
“If they had a bad game, they came back stronger the next game and from there were consecutively good for a long period again. So yeah, they were stable, strong, and determined.”