Manchester United battle local rivals City for Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo - Paper Round
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Updated 05/02/2022 at 08:29 GMT
Manchester United and City are set to battle it out for Ronald Araujo as the Barcelona defender is yet to agree a new contract with the Spanish side, who could also terminate Ousmane Dembele's contract. Elsewhere, United could strike a deal to sell Andreas Pereira to Flamengo, and Scott Arfield could leave Rangers.
Ronald Araujo of FC Barcelona
Image credit: Getty Images
United battle City for Araujo
The Mirror reports that Manchester United and cross-town rivals Manchester City are going to face off for the chance to sign Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo. The 22-year-old Uruguay international is out of contract next summer and both Manchester teams are keen to sign the player, though Pep Guardiola was recently spotted having dinner with his agent.
Paper Round’s view: The talks between Guardiola and his agent might be innocent, but any player would be tempted to link up with the best coach in the world, and joining City is an almost guaranteed title over the course of a contract. The only hope for United is that Araujo thinks he can get more game time with the poor competition on offer at Old Trafford, which is hardly a great argument.
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Aubameyang 'very proud' to complete Barcelona transfer after Arsenal exit
Dembele turned down Barcelona exit
Ousmane Dembele turned down the chance to leave Barcelona on a free transfer, according to Spanish newspaper Marca. The winger was given the option to terminate his contract so that Barcelona would not have to deal with his presence over the coming months, and the club are still considering unilaterally ending the contract with the 24-year-old France international.
Paper Round’s view: Dembele has not enjoyed the easiest of times at Barcelona and after problems with discipline and injury, having his contract cancelled would leave him, potentially, with nowhere to train for the next six months. He would probably find somewhere to stay fit, but it is in everyone's interest now to find a place for him in the first-team squad over the next few months.
Flamengo bargain for Pereira
Flamengo executives have flown to Britain to find a compromise to sign Andreas Pereira on a permanent deal. The 26-year-old midfielder is on loan in Brazil until the end of the season and he has 18 months left on his current contract. Pereira is valued at £17m by United and they ignored a £6.8m offer from Flamengo recently. There could be talks to find a suitable fee for both.
Paper Round’s view: Pereira has never shown that he is worth anything close to £17m and with his age now 26 and with so little time on his contract, that is a ridiculous valuation from United, who generally hold onto their fringe players for far too long. The important thing is to shift players who are not needed off their books so there is money for wages to be spent on players with talent and potential.
Arfield set for Rangers exit
Scott Arfield is running down his contract at Rangers and while he is open to staying, the 33-year-old Canada international midfielder is attracting interest from elsewhere. Clubs in Turkey would like to take him on a free transfer, and a return to North America is also on the cards as MLS clubs are keen on the player, who moved north from Burnley in 2018.
Paper Round’s view: Arfield is an experienced campaigner and if he can maintain his form then it might be worth extending his stay for a while longer, but there could be a temptation to change things up at Ibrox. After their midweek defeat to Celtic it seems that Rangers are once again Glasgow’s second club and they could look to overhaul their squad with younger players.
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