‘Extraordinary’ defender has told his dressing room he’s thinking of leaving, Chelsea have been circling for him

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There are plenty of different players Chelsea are linked with in this January transfer window, and one transfer target may have given them a significant boost.

Chelsea are enjoying a decent season so far under Enzo Maresca, who’s taken to the role of Blues manager pretty effortlessly.

However, will a poor run of two points out of a possible 12 in their last four Premier League games trigger Chelsea into some January business?

• READ MORE: Four Chelsea players could all push to leave in January as they feel Enzo Maresca isn’t playing them enough

Chelsea target Ronald Araujo prepared to leave Barcelona

According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo has internally commented in the dressing room that he’s seriously considering leaving the Camp Nou.

It is explained that the 25-year-old centre-back’s made it clear he’s always wanted to prioritise a move to the Premier League for the first time in his career.

The report adds that Spanish giants Barcelona won’t consider allowing Araujo to leave on loan in the January window, but they could sell him if they receive a big enough transfer offer. A big reason why is the Uruguay international is entering the final 18 months of his contract with them.

This comes after various bits of speculation that Chelsea are admirers of the La Liga star.

Chelsea were circling for Barcelona’s Araujo a couple of months ago as they scouted the central defender. On paper, the aggressive centre-half could be the perfect partner for Levi Colwill in the backline.

On top of that, Chelsea are considering seven different centre-backs in January, including Araujo at Barcelona.

The one worry with Ronald Araujo

Araujo ticks so many boxes as a modern day central defender with excellent pace, strength and ability on the ball. At the age of 25, he looks like the perfect profile that Chelsea needs in the heart of defence to improve them.

Described as an “extraordinary defender” by Xavi Hernandez in 2023 (Sportskeeda), Araujo could take the Premier League by storm if he arrives.

If there’s one area for concern with the Barcelona talent, it’s his poor luck with injuries.

Here is a look at Araujo’s injury record since he made his first-team debut for Barcelona back in 2019:

It’s something that Chelsea needs to consider with any of their transfer targets, but in the case of Araujo, we think that the reward outweighs the risk.

The Blues will obviously need to ramp up their interest if they’re serious about signing the Barcelona ace, but it looks like the opportunity may be there to land a top-class defender.