According to SPORT, Pep Guardiola recently had dinner with Edmundo Kabchi, the agent of Liverpool target Ronald Araujo.
What’s the story?
Well, the Spanish news outlet believe Manchester City are interested in signing the Barcelona defender, who Liverpool also admire.
Now, talk of the 7-cap Uruguay international joining the Citizens has been fuelled after Guardiola met his agent for a meal.
It comes amid a contract standoff for Araujo, who is one of the lowest paid players at Barcelona on €6m-a-year (£5m-a-year).
Interestingly, it was SPORT who claimed that Liverpool are keen to sign him.
The 22-year-old’s terms expire in June 2023, and he has already rejected one new contract offer from the Spanish giants as it didn’t meet his demands.
So far this season, Araujo – who has a £167m release clause in his current deal – has been a standout player for Barcelona.
The South American has made 24 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals.
Liverpool may lose out to Manchester City
In our view, this update should concern Jürgen Klopp.
Guardiola has many contacts at Barcelona, having risen through the youth ranks at the Camp Nou on his way to making 384 appearances for the first-team.
Of course, the 51-year-old also went on to become one of the greatest managers in the club’s history.
Barcelona won’t want to lose Araujo, but if they fail to agree a new deal with the centre-back, then you would presume that Guardiola has the contacts to beat the Reds to his services.
Having said that, Klopp is a charming, infectious figure, who is surely hard to turn down when he approaches targets with such enthusiasm.
After all, it only took one trip to Blackpool with Virgil van Dijk to convince the Dutchman to choose Liverpool over Manchester City (Independent).
Keep an eye on this saga, as we could see Araujo playing in the Premier League very soon if contract talks continue to prove problematic.
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