Manchester United
Premier League • England
Tuchel already has first Man Utd signing in sight after contact, as Barcelona danger resurfaces
Thomas Tuchel has reportedly been in contact with Barcelona man Ronald Araujo, with a view to making him his first Manchester United signing, given the instability for Erik ten Hag.
Ten Hag’s position is once again in danger, after a spate of poor results for United. They have won one of their last six in all competitions, and that was against League One Barnsley.
TEAMtalk understands that United are looking at two candidates, Tuchel and Graham Potter, to potentially replace the current boss.
Fabrizio Romano has reiterated appreciation of the former, who is available.
“Then [in the summer] they decided to continue with Erik ten Hag, but Tuchel was there, and so Tuchel could be a candidate, and so Tuchel is appreciated,” Romano said on his YouTube channel.
“But at the moment, Manchester United are still discussing internally, and still not making contact with any other coach so far, because they still keep respecting and waiting with Erik ten Hag.”
And El Nacional states Tuchel already has his first signing in sight – Barcelona defender Araujo. It’s believed the boss has in fact already spoken to Araujo directly to express his appreciation of him and desire to sign him.
As such, it’s stated a ‘juicy offer’ would not be a surprise if Tuchel takes the job.
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Tuchel a big Araujo fan
TEAMtalk also understands that United spoke to Tuchel in the summer, before deciding to stick with Ten Hag.
But at the time, the German manager’s admiration for Araujo was evident, given it was reported that he was one of the managers that most liked the defender, and would look to sign him if given the job.
It was also reported during his time at Bayern that he was keen on landing the Barcelona man.
As such, it seems the danger for the La Liga side will not go away if he’s inserted at United.
Man Utd round-up: Big names could leave
Ten Hag may not be the only big name to leave United soon.
Joshua Zirkzee is being linked with a stunning return to Italy just months after signing for United, with three big Serie A sides interested in taking him back there.
Victor Lindelof could also head to the Serie A, with AC Milan advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic desperate to land his former team-mate.
A potential inbound transfer is that of Angel Gomes, who is out of contract with Lille in the summer, and has stated he may find it hard to turn down a return to Old Trafford, after he came through the United academy.
How do Araujo and De Ligt compare
Araujo is yet to play this season, owing to a hamstring injury, but last season, he and United’s most recent centre-back signing Matthijs de Ligt were not too dissimilar.