Manchester United are said to have made contact with Barcelona about versatile defender Andreas Christensen, despite him not playing since August due to an Achilles tendon injury.
The 28-year-old played 26 minutes in Barcelona’s first LaLiga game against Valencia, but suffered a return to an Achilles tendon problem that first bothered him in March.
Christensen has therefore missed Barcelona’s last 30 games across all competitions, watching from the sidelines as the club’s early season form has been weakened by a series of disastrous defeats – Atletico Madrid now top the table ahead of Real Madrid, with Barca third and six points behind .
Spanish publication SPORT report that Barcelona’s changing stance on the sale of Ronald Araujo – he was closely linked to Juventus and was also considered a target for Arsenal – has prompted the club to reassess who it might want to offload in January.
Christensen’s name is mentioned alongside Eric Garcia. The report also mentions that United, who sit 14th in the Premier League table but enjoyed a memorable FA Cup third round win over Arsenal on Sunday, have been in contact about the former Chelsea star .
No progress is said to have been made regarding an inquiry from United, who, at least on the surface, appear to be well staffed in the central defender department.
Harry Maguire is enjoying a resurgence at the heart of a back three, flanked by a combination of Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro, Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof and, at times, flying full-back Noussair Mazraoui.
Christensen is also capable of playing in the defensive midfield position – a position he has played in several times for Barcelona – although United again have Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro in the squad, with Kobbie Mainoo and Christian Eriksen also capable of dropping in deeper necessary.
At the very least, Barcelona will likely try to push someone out the exit door given their continued delicate finances. The club have only just managed to sign Dani Olmo on a temporary basis until early April, with January and summer sales the only possible way to pay for potential new signings.