Aston Villa are lining up an audacious summer swoop for Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo and are cautiously optimistic of striking a deal, according to reports.
Unai Emery’s side wrapped up fourth spot and a place in the Champions League in midweek after closest challengers Tottenham were beaten by Manchester City.
Villa are already hoping to use the lure of playing in Europe’s premier club competition – not to mention the added finances – to bring in a higher calibre of player this summer.
According to Spanish newspaper Sport, their primary target is Barcelona centre-back Araujo and they have been working on a deal since last month.
Sporting director Monchi was spotted at the Estadi Olimpic for Barca’s clash with Valencia at the backend of April and he spoke to members of the club’s hierarchy.
There had been suggestions Villa were interested in former Leeds United winger Raphinha, but now it has been revealed that they were actually discussing a potential move for Araujo.
During the visit, Monchi asked for details on the Uruguayan’s situation and made it clear Villa would return with an offer should they secure Champions League qualification.
With that now in the bag, Villa are ready to accelerate their pursuit – though there could be a number of sticking points.
Firstly, Villa need to offload some players to comply with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules, with Diego Carlos the player they are most keen to shift – particularly as it would open up a spot in the defence.
They will also need to convince Araujo to move to Birmingham, though he is thought to have significant interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
The likes of Bayern Munich as well as Manchester United – who could have no European football next season – are long-time admirers of Araujo.
But Villa are keen to move quickly and that suits Barcelona, who need to make one big sale before June 30 in order to comply with Spain’s Financial Fair Play rules and free up funds for new signings of their own.
Despite his strong performances, Araujo is seen as the most dispensable player at the club given both the size of the fee he would command and the abundance of options Barca have at centre-back.
Barca already have the likes of Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen and 17-year-old breakout star Pau Cubarsi capable of playing in central defence so they are open to cashing in on Araujo. Whether Villa can convince him to join is another matter.
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