18 seconds late
This article first appeared on Jan. 31 and has been updated with new information.
With just hours to go on deadline day in Spain, Barcelona were pushing to sign Mexican-American right-back Julián Araujo from Major League Soccer side Los Angeles Galaxy. First reported by MLSSoccer.com writer Tom Bogert, Barcelona made an initial loan on Monday that was rejected. Still, talks have been ongoing throughout the night, and according to the Spanish outlet Relevo, Barcelona had a deal in place to sign Araujo. Bogert first reported that the deal would be a loan with an option to buy for €7m, which would have been a record deal. But the deal was then changed to a €4m permanent deal. The problem is Barcelona did not register the player on time.
“We didn’t arrive on time due to a computer error—the delay was 18 seconds,” Barca director of professional football Mateu Alemany said in a statement. Whether the transfer will now happen will depend on FIFA. Araujo did train on his own on Thursday. There is some urgency for Barcelona to get the deal done across the line, however. The Catalans have lost right-back Hector Bellerín to Sporting, and last summer, moved Sergiño Dest on loan to Milan. Barça boss Xavi has predominantly used Sergi Roberto and Jules Koundé as right-backs this season. Koundé, however, prefers playing as a center-back.
That, however, does not mean Araujo will move straight to the first team. Should a deal go through after all, Araujo will at first join the second team. Although Araujo is a product of the Galaxy academy and was born in California, the right-back is representing Mexico at the senior level (three games). With former Mexico legend Rafa Márquez training Barça’s reserve side, Araujo has quickly made it on the Catalans’ radar. Barça, in fact, wanted to sign the Mexican last summer, but a deal fell through, and the club brought on Bellerin instead.
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Developed by the Galaxy, Araujo first broke into the first team in 2019 and has since made 109 appearances for the Galaxy across all competitions (two goals and 14 assists). In that time, Araujo has seen his market value grow to €6m, making him the most valuable right-back in Major League Soccer. In fact, at the Galaxy, only Spanish midfielder Riqui Puig (€7m) has a bigger market value than Araujo.
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