Tottenham Hotspur are set to make an approach to sign Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo next week, according to journalist Sebastien Vidal.
It's been a relatively slow summer transfer window for Spurs so far, and their plans may have been scuppered in recent weeks after it was confirmed that James Maddison had suffered a serious knee injury. Attacking reinforcements may have quickly become a priority for the north London club, but Thomas Frank will likely be hoping for reinforcements all over the pitch.
Spurs endured a disappointing 2024/2025 campaign when it came to their performances domestically, finishing in 17th in the Premier League, losing 22 of their 38 matches in the competition. A Europa League triumph glossed over that, but it still showed the lack of quality and depth they have in their squad.
Tottenham Set to Make Approach for Ronald Araujo
According to journalist Vidal, Tottenham have earmarked Barcelona defender Araujo as a potential target for the summer transfer window. The Uruguayan international is valued at around £43m by the La Liga giants, while he's also a target for other sides in the Premier League. Vidal claims that Tottenham are set to make an official approach to secure his signature next week.
Araujo reportedly earns £268,000-a-week at Barcelona, which would make him one of Tottenham's highest earners if he were to join the club. Spurs will have to consider the financials involved carefully, especially if Barcelona are demanding a fee of around £43m alongside his salary package.
Adding a new central defender might not seem like an immediate priority, considering Spurs have both Micky Van de Ven and Cristian Romero at their disposal, but it was rare to see the duo partnered together during the 2024/2025 campaign. Van de Ven and Romero both missed a large portion of games due to injury troubles, with Van de Ven in particular enduring hamstring difficulties.
Radu Dragusin has also been on the treatment table with a serious knee injury, so it's not overly surprising to see Frank and his recruitment team in the market for a new centre-back in the summer transfer window.