The Stamford Bridge team is ready to spend heavily on the Uruguayan star.

Besides looking for a new coach, Chelsea is also planning to add more personnel during this summer transfer window.

One of their essential issues is bringing in a new defender to replace Thiago Silva. The Brazilian veteran announced his departure a few weeks ago, and Chelsea needs a quality solution to fill the void he left. According to sources from Mundo Deportivo, the Stamford Bridge team has kept an eye on Barcelona midfielder Ronald Araujo.

Chelsea wants to recruit Araujo this summer.

Chelsea is ready to make a huge offer to convince Barca to release him.

They understand that Araujo plays an important role in the Catalan giants’ squad; besides, the contract between the two sides is still valid until 2026, so recruiting the Uruguayan midfielder will be extremely complicated.

Not only that, Chelsea also faces fierce competition from other forces, such as Manchester United or Bayern Munich. Recently, there have also been rumors that Aston Villa has joined the race. With the advantage of qualifying for UCL, they are confident in closing this deal.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Chelsea is keeping an eye on Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo because they believe he can take on a leadership position in defense after Thiago Silva leaves Stamford Bridge this summer.

Araujo’s contract with Barcelona runs until the summer of 2026 . The two sides also have an unrealistic release clause of 1 billion euros (£850 million/$1.08 billion). To further complicate the situation for Chelsea, Araujo is one of the names on the Catalan team’s non-transferable priority list. However, understanding Barca’s economic difficulties, the London team believes that a large price may be attractive enough for president Joan Laporta and his staff. Barca must comply with La Liga’s financial regulations.

Flick (left) can replace Xavi to lead Barca from next season

Barca is said to have held negotiations with the Uruguayan player about the possibility of extending his contract earlier this year. But the process did not go as expected. The reason also comes from Barca finding ways to invest more in the squad instead of spending money to retain the heroes.

The future of the Uruguayan defender may also depend on who will be Barca’s head coach next season. The home club Noucamp is making messy moves regarding Xavi Hernandez’s future at Camp Nou. At this time, it is very likely that Hansi Flick could join the Catalan team to take over the position of the former Spanish player.