Premier League outfit ready to shell out €45 million for Barcelona defender

Ever since their takeover went through, Newcastle United have been linked with several high-profile transfers ahead of the January window.

The Magpies have been credited with an interest in a couple of players from Barcelona in the recent past, with Philippe Coutinho believed to be on their radar while there have been links to Ousmane Dembele as well.

Now, another Barça star has emerged on the radars of Newcastle, if a report from El Nacional is to be believed, with the Premier League club interested in signing Ronald Araujo.

The 22-year-old has been one of Barcelona’s best-performing players in the ongoing campaign. A key component of Xavi Hernandez’s side, the Uruguayan has been tipped to become the leader of the defence in the near future.

However, Araujo’s contract with the club runs out in eighteen months, which has led to speculations over his future. There have been links to the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool, with Newcastle also now joining the list of interested parties.

The Tyneside outfit are the worst-performing team in the Premier League defensively, having shipped in 41 goals in just 18 matches. Manager Eddie Howe is keen on addressing the issue with the signing of a top centre-half in the January transfer window.

To that end, they have now set their sights on Araujo and are reportedly willing to splash a sum of €45 million for his services. However, a move is extremely unlikely to materialise, as Barcelona see him as an integral part of the side, with Xavi publicly asking the club to hand him an extension.

While Newcastle would be able to hand him a lucrative contract, the 22-year-old is believed to be keen on continuing his stay at Camp Nou. However, he has laid out some demands to the club for him to sign a new deal.