Player sought by Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United makes summer transfer decision

Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Manchester United have been linked with Sporting’s Maxi Araújo for the past few months.

Both Tottenham and Chelsea have been keen on the left-back since March. In May, we relayed news that the two London clubs and Manchester United have held talks with his agent.

The Uruguay international starred at the World Cup despite their elimination from the group stage.

Last month, Sport Witness covered claims from Portugal that Sporting wanted to hold talks with his representatives over his future. He has a contract until 2029, with an €80m clause.

Earlier this month, the South American’s agent, Martín Rodríguez, said it won’t be easy to take him away from the Lions.

He said: “When a player stands out at Sporting, it’s not easy to take him away from there. That’s the case with Maxi Araújo. Sporting have a lot of money and they don’t sell cheaply.”

Blow for Spurs, Chelsea and Manchester United

The 26-year-old is on the front page of today’s Record, with ‘Maxi stays’ written in bold.

Within the report, the newspaper points out about Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and the Red Devils’ interest in Maxi Araújo and covers the latest.

The player had considered leaving the Primeira Liga side during the World Cup and has been sought after by the Premier League trio.

Since then, he has changed his mind and will continue at Sporting for at least one more season.

They have signed his compatriot, Rodrigo Zalazar. The opportunity to play alongside with him in the Champions League is an ‘extra incentive’ for Araújo.

Club reward for staying

This has pleased Sporting, who have been working on renewing his contract for a while.

Maxi Araújo could also captain his side next season. These are some arguments that convinced him to stay for another year. The player is aware that the door will open for him to leave Sporting in 2027.

The Lions want to reward him by increasing his current salary from €700k to €2m per year.

At the same time, this is a blow for Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United. The trio have to look at other targets, if they wish to improve the position this summer.