Chelsea serious contenders to land South American defender

Chelsea are reportedly serious contenders to sign Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo during the next transfer window.

The Uruguayan has less than 17 months remaining on his contract, and he could leave the Blaugrana this summer.

He is eyeing around €100,000-a-week to sign a new deal, but the Blaugrana are reluctant to pay more than €50,000-a-week.

According to ESPN, the Blues are keeping a close eye on the situation, and could take advantage of the contract stand-off.

They are willing to meet the demands of Araujo, but the defender has yet to give the green light for a potential transfer.

Barcelona have not given up on keeping the 22-year-old. Manager Xavi Hernandez is a big admirer of the defender's talents.

He has publicly stated that Araujo's contract is a priority, and only time will tell whether they can convince him to stay put.

Aside from Araujo, the Blues have also been linked with Sevilla's Jules Kounde and Juventus' Matthijs de Ligt recently.