Premier League giants Chelsea and Liverpool are eyeing a cut-price deal for Barcelona defensive mainstay Ronald Araujo.

According to Pete O’Rourke via Football Insider, Chelsea and Liverpool are keen on signing Ronald Araujo for a cut-price fee. Both Premier League clubs are looking to add more quality to their backline, and the Barcelona mainstay seems to be quite high on their wishlist.

Araujo has been a part of the Barcelona setup since 2018. The South American defender got promoted to the first team in 2020, and he has not looked back since. While he has been one of their mainstays over the years, the recent seasons have not gone according to plan for him.

The 26-year-old endured an injury-hit campaign last season, and even after regaining fitness, Hansi Flick preferred Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez at the heart of the defence.

With Martinez now gone, Ronald Araujo had hoped to re-establish himself as an undisputed starter, but his performances have been far from convincing. The German manager has often opted for Eric Garcia ahead of the Uruguayan international in the starting XI.

While his contract at the Catalan club runs until the summer of 2031, Araujo’s future has been a big talking point since the start of the summer. There was a £52 million release clause in his contract, and clubs like Chelsea and Liverpool were hoping to make the most out of it.

Premier League giants want Araujo

The Reds were keen on adding more quality to their backline during the summer. While Ronald Araujo was a part of their wishlist, their priority target was Marc Guehi. After failing to secure his services, the Merseyside club have now shifted their focus towards the Barcelona mainstay.

However, a lot depends on the future of Ibrahima Konate. The French international has entered the final year of his deal, and if they fail to secure his future with a new deal, they could look at the Uruguay international as a like-for-like replacement.

Meanwhile, Chelsea have also entered the race for his signature following an injury crisis at the back. With quite a few of their defensive stars out injured, the Blues would love to sign the Barcelona mainstay in the upcoming winter transfer window. However, they are unlikely to get their hands on him as Flick won’t let Araujo leave mid-season.

While speaking about Ronald Araujo’s future, O’Rourke said, “I don’t see any move in January for Araujo.

“Obviously, I don’t think Barcelona would want to weaken their squad midway through the season as they’ll have ambitions to win La Liga again and to go far in the Champions League this season.

“It’ll be interesting to see what Barcelona’s financial situation is. Come next summer, we all know how many issues they’ve had over the last couple of seasons, registering players, signing players as well.

“So, if there’s an opportunity there to cash in on them and make a profit on them, then maybe something could happen with Araujo, but it does seem the player himself is very happy.

“At Barcelona, he’s in no rush to leave. He is on the contract until 2031. I think there was a release clause in that deal for around £52m.

“So again, [it was a] relatively cheap fee for such an experienced and top class defender as well. So I’m sure there’ll be clubs who’ll be monitoring the situation.”

Ronald Araujo’s new bumper release clause

Araujo previously had a £52 million release clause, which made him a world-class option to reinforce their backline at a cut-price fee. However, the clause expired in July, and the new clause stands at a massive €1 billion (£870.1m).

Chelsea and Liverpool would love a cut-price deal, but that might no longer be possible. However, the player was not pleased with his role at the club; he could certainly be interested in a switch next summer. But Barcelona will only let him leave for a significant fee.