Liverpool and Chelsea battle to sign Ronald Araujo

Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo has emerged as the top transfer target for both Chelsea and Liverpool during the January transfer window. It is understood that both Premier League giants are in negotiations with the Nou Camp side to sign Araujo.

The Uruguayan defender is valued by his club for around 50 million euros, and Barca could well be forced to sell the player to redeem funds as the Spanish giants find themselves in over 1.3 billion euros of debt.

Araujo has forced his way in to the club's first-team in recent months, and has now played 58 times for the first team. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is seeking defensive reinforcements and the perfect long-term partner for Virgil Van Dijk, considered by many to be the best centre-back in the world. 

Chelsea on the other hand are also looking for a replacement for Thiago Silva, who at 37-years-old is at the tail end of his career. Thomas Tuchel has requested that his scouting team scour Europe to find a new centre-back for the 2022-23 season.