Ronald Araujo, a Barcelona defender, is apparently a transfer target for Manchester United as well as Liverpool – and he appears to be built for big games.
The Uruguayan defender, 22, would be out of deal at the eleventh hour of the 2022/23 season, putting top-flight clubs on high alert.
According to ESPN, Barcelona has made extending his contract a "priority," and talks between both the club and the player's representatives have begun.
If an agreement cannot be reached, Liverpool and Manchester United are said to be interested in signing the promising center-back.
The Prem League giants are said to be scouting the player as of November 2021 and thus will make a move in the summer if he does not sign a new contract.
Araujo was elevated to Barcelona's first team for the 2019/20 season and also has quickly established himself as an influential player of Xavi's squad.
If he were to join the English Premier League, the defender would bring some fiery South American sense of style to the league, as he did in Barcelona's tense 2-2 draw with Espanyol on Sunday.
Luuk de Jong scored in injury time to give his team a point in a tense Catalan derby at the RCDE Stadium, at which Manuel Moralanes, Gerard Pique, and Nico Melamed were all sent off.
However, Araujo, who was replaced at halftime due to an injury, managed to steal some of the headlines when he was involved in a heated argument with Melamed as he exited the pitch.
Araujo popped up to be goading the Espanyol midfielder with his fingers, implying his team will be demoted to the second tier at the end of the season.
And, in a subsequent social media post, Araujo apologized for his actions, saying he was 'not proud' of what he did.
“"I'd like to apologize to everyone in Espanyol for the unfortunate expression I made tonight," he wrote.
"Everything was the outcome of the tension felt during a derby as contentious as today's."
"I consider myself to be a person who honors fans and rival clubs, which is why I am not glad of what occurred."
Xavi also proceeded to apologize to Espanyol fan base for Araujo's actions, insisting it was a spur of the moment error after the tense derby.
"I haven't seen the incident," Camp Nou's manager said.
"We must respect our opponent, the referee, and the opposing fans."
"We must always be tactful, but the pressure can make that difficult at times."
But please accept my apologies if this has occurred, as it really shouldn't have."
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