Watch out Barcelona! Man Utd join Bayern in transfer race for Ronald Araujo as they weigh up €80m bid for defender

The Uruguayan defender is much sought after by several elite European clubs. Among them, Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel happens to be a huge admirer of Araujo, but Barcelona's insistence on a €80m (£69m/$88m) transfer fee saw the Bundesliga champions retreat.

According to Sky Germany, United are the latest outfit to show interest in the player and have made a formal enquiry to Barcelona. The Catalan outfit have once again confirmed they are not willing to part ways with a prized asset for anything less than €80m, leaving United weighing up the possibility of a mega summer bid.

It is believed that Araujo is eager to continue his career at Barcelona and will not force a move in the winter. However, that has not deterred potential suitors and it is believed that both Bayern and United will return in the summer for the player.

Although Araujo has been an assured presence for Barcelona for the majority of the campaign, he was given his marching orders in the Spanish Super Cup final against Real Madrid after picking up two yellow cards. He also gave away a penalty which saw Vincius Jr. convert from the spot to complete his hat-trick in a 4-1 win for Madrid.

Barcelona will most likely hold on to Araujo for now, but speculation over his future will continue to rage until the summer. His contract expires in 2026 and he has a reported release clause of €1B to fend away any potential interest from other clubs.