Manchester United and Liverpool after Barcelona star

English Premier League clubs Manchester United and Liverpool have reportedly made contact with Barcelona over a potential deal for defender Ronald Araujo, whose future at the Spanish club is uncertain due to a contract issue.

The 24-year-old Uruguayan agreed to a new four-year contract with Barcelona last summer, but the club has been unable to register it with La Liga due to their ongoing financial problems. As a result, Araujo’s current deal is set to expire in June, and he could leave on a free transfer.

According to 90min, Barcelona is “not worried” about the situation and believes the new contract for Araujo will not be an issue in the long-term. The club insists that both Araujo and fellow young star Gavi will remain at Barcelona next season, despite the current uncertainty.

The situation has put several European clubs on red alert, with Premier League sides Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham, and Newcastle United all reportedly enquiring about Araujo’s availability. Inter Milan, Juventus, and Borussia Dortmund have also shown interest, but Barcelona is determined to keep the player.

Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez, who is also Araujo’s Uruguay international teammate, has expressed his admiration for the centre-back and congratulated him on his contract extension, which is yet to be registered.

Nunez would undoubtedly be keen to play alongside Araujo at Anfield, and Liverpool has also been linked with Gavi. However, Barcelona director Mateu Alemany is confident that Gavi will remain with the La Liga club for the rest of his career.

Despite the interest from several top clubs, Barcelona is determined to keep Araujo, who has established himself as a key player for the Catalan giants this season.

The club is confident that the contract issue will be resolved soon and that Araujo will remain at the Nou Camp for the long term. It remains to be seen whether any of the interested clubs will be able to tempt him away from Barcelona in the summer.