Manchester United have been heavily linked with Barcelona center-back Ronald Araujo and Crystal Palace attacker Michael Olise over the last few weeks. Transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano, however, has said there is nothing concrete at the moment, adding neither move will materialize in January.

Manchester United To Form An English Core Under Sir Jim Ratcliffe

A 25% stakeholder in Manchester United, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has taken over all operations related to soccer, and according to FootballTransfers, he wants to make some major changes to the club’s philosophy. The British billionaire reportedly wants a young English core at Manchester United and has earmarked Olise as one of the top targets.

Fabrizio Romano touched on the subject in his Daily Briefing column, revealing the club have yet to officially approach the player and will not add the 22-year-old to their ranks in the winter transfer window.

The Italian journalist said:

“I’m aware there have been some stories about Manchester United targets this evening, with Ronald Araujo and Michael Olise among the big names being linked with the Red Devils, but it’s important to clarify some things on these stories.

“For both Araujo and Olise, nothing is happening in January – I have no concrete updates on either player for the moment.”

Romano Believes Araujo Will Sign A Contract Extension With Barcelona

After claiming neither Olise nor Araujo would move to Old Trafford in the summer, Romano turned his attention toward the summer transfer window. He played down the Araujo links, saying the Uruguayan was likely to extend his stay at Camp Nou by signing the contract that Barcelona would present to him in the coming months.

On the center-back topic, Romano added:

“Araujo is expected to stay at Barcelona, and they will offer him a new contract in the next months. We will see how that conversation will go, as a crucial step ahead of the summer. Apart from that, there are always links for Man United and center-backs. It’s normal as they want to sign a CB in 2024.”

Araujo has been with the Blaugrana since moving from Boston River in July 2018. The 24-year-old has played 133 games for the club since joining the senior team in 2022, scoring eight times. Araujo’s current Barca contract expires in June 2026.