Manchester United have been alerted to the potential availability of Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo, with a contract stand-off potentially set to force the Catalan club to cash in.
The Uruguayan has been one of the few success stories at Camp Nou this season, strengthening his hold on a first-team spot, and was part of his country's Copa America squad over the summer.
However, with his deal due to run out in 2023, and no progress made over an extension, the 22-year-old may be allowed to leave Barcelona if a suitable bid arrives.
United aren't the only ones on high alert, though, with Premier League rivals Chelsea also aware of the defender's situation as they deal with contract uncertainty over some of their own squad members.
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According to Sport (via Sport Witness ), United have made contact with the player, whose failure to agree a new deal is believed to concern the Catalan club.
The Premier League side are believed to have made their intentions clear, Marca reports, with Barcelona's financial situation playing a part in the stand-off.
While Xavi's side have already got Philippe Coutinho off the books this month, as well as restructuring Samuel Umtiti's contract and sending loanee Yusuf Demir back to Rapid Wien, reports suggest they will need to trim more money from their wage bill in order to give Araujo the money he wants.
Marca notes that Chelsea have also let Araujo know of their interest, with Real Madrid also said to be keeping an eye on developments, and both English clubs are reported to have made clear "how far they're willing to go to secure his services".
Chelsea have agreed a contract extension with veteran defender Thiago Silva, but have yet to reach a resolution on the future of three other defenders.
Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta are all out of contract this summer, and Araujo could be an option if the Blues are unable to make progress on negotiations with the trio.
With 18 months left on Araujo's deal, Barcelona still have a bit of time before he will be free to speak to other clubs over a pre-contract agreement.
However, given his growing importance to Xavi's team, it is no surprise to see his representatives seek improved terms.
Araujo has played more than 20 times for Barcelona this season, scoring important equalisers against Granada and Sevilla, and is on track to pass the career-high 33 appearances he racked up last term under Ronald Koeman.
However, the club's finances are stretched, with the January arrival of Ferran Torres limiting what the club are able to do this month, prompting further questions about one of their up-and-coming talents.
