Spurs have reportedly set their sights on a Barcelona defender in a late attempt to bolster their backline ahead of the transfer deadline.
Tottenham have arguably just had their best period of the season, with their last-16 Champions League qualification followed by a draw at home to title challengers Manchester City.
With Thomas Frank looking to ride a rare wave of positivity in N17, it emerged overnight that another surprise could be in store for Spurs supporters.
Spurs prepare £30m bid for Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo
According to Fichajes, Spurs are hoping to test Barcelona’s resolve with a late-window bid for Uruguay defender Ronald Araujo.
It seems as though the timing of their approach is designed to force Barcelona into a tricky decision, with the Catalan giants aware that such an offer may not come to them in the future.
Barca’s financial state is also a factor, while it is implied that there are internal acknowledgements over Araujo’s lack of form, meaning that the La Liga leaders have to consider every possibility.
The bid is said to consist of an upfront fee of €30m (£26m) with another €5m in add-ons.
You can see why Barcelona have a dilemma on their hands with Araujo. The two-time La Liga champion only just made a return to league action for the first time since mid-November following injury.
In that time, Hansi Flick’s side have recorded eight wins from nine in the league and won the Supercopa de Espana, with Araujo making an appearance in the dying moments of the final.
He has held an important role in the side, captaining the team on occasion this term, but he has had low moments, too – most notably perhaps his rather daft sending-off against Chelsea in the Champions League that all but doomed Barca to defeat.
As for Spurs, there’s every reason to believe Araujo could become a shrewd signing. Not only would they be welcoming a proven winner, but amid rumours surrounding the futures of current centre-backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, this would undoubtedly ease the pressure on Frank ahead of a potentially frantic summer window.
It would still be a coup to pull off a move of this nature so close to the deadline, but stranger things have happened.
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