Bayern Munich have identified Barcelona star Ronald Araujo as the solution to their persistent problems in defense, reports Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg. The Bavarians have added the Uruguay international to their list of targets that also includes Arsenal's Takehiro Tomiyasu and Manchester United's Raphael Varane. (Football News)
Like Tomiyasu and Varane, however, Araujo is unlikely to move to Bayern, says the report, despite the player being keen on the transfer himself. Bayern have followed the 24-year-old centreback for two years and even have the approval of their head coach Thomas Tuchel to proceed with the signing; Barcelona, though, are trying to tie him down to a new contract with his current deal expiring in 2026.
Born in Rivera, Uruguay, Ronald Araujo came through the ranks of Huracan de Rivera and Rentistas before making his senior debut with the latter. He later joined Boston River, where he was scouted and later purchased from by Spanish giants Barcelona, who initially sent the centreback into their reserve set-up.
Araujo, though, quickly progressed through the ranks and debuted for the Barca senior team in 2019. He has grown exponentially in stature since then, becoming more significant for Barcelona with each passing season; his 124 appearances for the club at the time of writing provide evidence of the same.
The Rivera-born is also an established defender for the Uruguay national team with 16 appearances in his bank. He scored his first international goal for the two-time FIFA World Cup winners earlier this year.