Manchester United and Arsenal have settled on their stance regarding the potential signing of Sporting Lisbon left-back Maxi Araújo ahead of the January transfer window.
The Red Devils allocated a significant portion of their summer budget on revitalising their midfield, bringing in the likes of Youri Tielemans, Andre Santos, and Carlos Baleba. However, fans and pundits alike were hoping for a key addition at left-back to provide competition for Luke Shaw. United were linked with Newcastle's Lewis Hall and Manchester City's Ryan Ait-Nouri over the summer, but financial constraints ultimately derailed those moves.
On the other hand, the Gunners are currently relying heavily on Riccardo Calafiori, who has started the season in fantastic form. Both Piero IncaPia and Myles Lewis-Skelly also offer options in that area.
Despite recent speculation that both English giants were preparing offers of €65 million (£55 million) for the 26-year-old Uruguayan, Sport Witness has denied any ongoing interest from the clubs. Reports indicate that Manchester United and Arsenal are not planning to take any further steps towards signing a player who made the switch to Lisbon from Mexican side Toluca in 2024.
This past summer, Sporting evaluated Araújo in the range of €45-50 million, with a buyout clause set at €80 million. However, no concrete advances from top clubs have been made. An informed source has confirmed to the publication that there’s been no new development from either Arsenal or Manchester United regarding the player since the initial interest showed six months ago.
