Bayern Munich ready to offer 26-year-old defender in swap deal for Barcelona's Ronald Araujo - Reports
Bayern Munich are reportedly offering defender Noussair Mazrauoi in a swap deal to snap up Barcelona's Ronald Araujo. The 26-year-old Mazrauoi made his Bayern debut in the 2022-23 season.
New Bayern boss Vincent Kompany is looking for a new centre-back amid the unconvincing performances of Dayot Upamecano, Matthijs de Ligt and Kim-Min Jae and have identified Araujo as one of the options.
They are also in the fray for Bayer Leverkusen's Jonathan Tah, but as per El Nacional, Bayern haven't given up on Araujo, who is valued at €90 million by Barca. New Blaugrana boss Hansi Flick is asking for Joshua Kimmich in a swap deal, with the German out of contract next summer.
However, Bayern would be loathe to lose one of their key players, despite contract extension talks with Kimmich having hit an impasse for a while. Instead, they consider Moroccan right-back Mazraoui as one surplus to requirements.
He has one goal and eight assists in 55 games across competitions for Bayern, including four assists in 29 games across competitions last term. Mazraoui is contracted to the Allianz Arena till 2027 and has a market value of €30 million, as per Transfermarkt. Kimmich, meanwhile, is valued at €50 million.
A recap of Bayern Munich and Barcelona's 2023-24 seasons
Both Barcelona and Bayern Munich have had similar seasons, ending trophyless, marking a first such instance for Bayern since the 2011-12 campaign as their 12-year Bundesliga stranglehold came to an end.
Thomas Tuchel's charges finished third, behind unbeaten winners Bayer Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart. Bayern fared slightly better in the UEFA Champions League, losing 4-3 on aggregate to eventual winners Real Madrid in the semifinals. However, they lost early in the DFB-Pokal and lost 3-0 at home to RB Leipzig in the Super Cup final.
Meanwhile, Barcelona finished behind winners Real Madrid in La Liga. They also lost to their arch-rivals in the Supercopa Espana final earlier this year. Xavi's side lost in the quarterfinals to eventual winners Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals and PSG in the UEFA Champions League last-eight.
Interestingly, both Bayern and Barca will be under new managers for the 2024-25 campaign after respectively seeing off Thomas Tuchel and Xavier Hernandez at the end of the previous campaign.