Manchester City are suffering from an unprecedented crisis, having won only one of their last 10 matches. Pep Guardiola is going through his worst period as a coach and is struggling to cope with the long absence of Rodrigo Hernandez, who has proven to be a key player for the team. To overcome this crisis, the club is planning to head to the winter transfer market to strengthen its squad.
Among the players in the England squad, many have yet to perform at their best, especially in defense, which has shown significant weaknesses recently. Defenders Manuel Akanji, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Ruben Dias, and Nathan Ake have suffered a notable decline in their performances, prompting Manchester City to consider strengthening this position in January.
According to information from the Spanish newspaper “El Nacional”, one of the names strongly suggested is Ronald Araujo, who is highly admired by the Manchester City technical staff. It is believed that his arrival could solidify the team’s defense and reduce its fragility, similar to the impact Virgil van Dijk had on Liverpool.
With his future at Barcelona still uncertain, as no agreement has been reached for a contract renewal (which expires in 2026), Araujo could be on his way out.
Despite recovering from a serious injury, he is still considered a backup in the Barcelona squad due to coach Hansi Flick’s reliance on the duo of Pau Coparci and Iñigo Martínez.
In these circumstances, Manchester City would have to pay more than €70 million for the services of the Uruguayan defender, as Joan Laporta will not agree to sell him for less than that amount.