Chelsea, Man Utd keeping tabs on Barcelona defender

Chelsea and Manchester United are keeping tabs on the contract situation of Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo.

The Uruguayan is regarded as a key player in Xavi Hernandez's squad, but his future with the club remains uncertain.

Araujo has entered the final 18 months of his Blaugrana contract. The club have yet to make any progress over a renewal.

There is optimism that he will pen a new deal soon, but AS claims that the Blues and United could capitalise on the situation.

Both clubs are eyeing a quality centre-back for next season. They could lodge bids if the player extends his contract stand-off.

Araujo is eyeing a sizeable hike on his current wages, but the Blaugrana can't afford to meet his demands amid spending restrictions.

They are currently under a La Liga wage cap of €98m, and need to offload more high-profile players to reduce the excess wage bill.

The club have eased their burden with contract renewals on lower salaries, but may still need to part ways with some big-name stars.