Arsenal enter race to sign unhappy Barcelona star wanted by Chelsea and Man United

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Arsenal are keeping tabs on Barcelona star Ronald Araujo.

According to 90min, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Newcastle United and Bayern Munich are all keeping tabs on Ronald Araujo. The Barcelona defender is currently somewhat unsettled at the La Liga club and is unhappy about being used as a right-back.

However, as per the aforementioned report, Barcelona are keen to retain the 24-year-old’s services. There is certainly a sense, though, that his future in Spain is far from certain.

Araujo would be unlikely to come cheap. He is a top class defender, who is excellent on the ball and a powerful physical presence at the back.

It is unsurprising to see him garnering so much attention. If it were to be the case that Araujo were to become available on the market then Arsenal would still face a tough task in getting a deal for the player over the line. A bidding war for his services that would price the Gunners out of the running could easily ensue. 

Why Arsenal desperately need defensive reinforcements

Mikel Arteta certainly won’t have all his eggs in the Araujo basket, so to speak. However, the Gunners would be wise to be seriously on the lookout for defensive reinforcements. Heading into the January transfer window, adding additional strength in depth at the back has to be a priority.

Injuries have taken their toll on Arsenal’s existing defensive contingent this season. On the opening day of the Premier League campaign, summer signing Jurrien Timber was ruled out with a long-term injury. More recently, Takehiro Tomiyasu has been sidelined.

Putting aside youth team candidates such as Reuell Walters, and Portuguese outcast Cedric Soares who Arteta clearly has no faith in, Arsenal currently have just five fit senior defenders: William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ben White, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Jakub Kiwior. Zinchenko has a patchy fitness record of his own, though, and whilst Declan Rice could drop back into the rearguard if required this would not be an ideal solution either, especially with Thomas Partey also unavailable due to injury.

In terms of attainable targets, Araujo is a long-shot. Sporting director Edu will likely be weighing up numerous other options who may prove more straightforward to acquire this winter. The north London club cannot allow this January transfer window to pass them by without investing in defensive cover. Lessons from last season must be learned, when defensive injuries caused their Premier League title push to falter late on.