Barcelona Atletic coach Rafa Marquez has confirmed that LA Galaxy defender Julian Araujo will be signing for the club and should be part of the first-team set-up for next season.
Araujo missed out on a move for Araujo in January after filing the paperwork just 18 seconds after the window closed. However, Marquez has told Relevo that he is expecting Araujo to arrive at the club shortly.
“It wasn’t my request, but I’m delighted that he’s coming. They’ve already been watching him since before I arrived,” he said. “Now the situation has arisen and I’m delighted. He’s going to be with me for a while and then move on to the first team. Let him do a bit of adjusting and I hope he has a nice career here.”
Barcelona are without a specialized right-back in the first-team squad currently, and it seems Araujo will be the latest player to try and fill the role. Xavi is currently using center-back Jules Kounde in the position.
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Barcelona Reveal Araujo Problems
Director of football Mateu Alemany has previously spoken about the Araujo deal and confirmed the club missed the deadline to land the attacker by a whisker, as reported by Goal.
“We’ve been monitoring him for some time, but due to certain circumstances, an error in the FIFA system, we couldn’t close the deal. The famous 18 seconds,” he said. “We wanted him for the second team. We want him and we’ll look for a solution, via the Court of Arbitration for Sport or he can play in another team for five months and then join us.”
Araujo won’t be able to play for Barcelona this season but could well be an option for the new campaign. Barcelona may also have Sergino Dest back from his loan spell with AC Milan in the summer.
The USMNT right-back does have a purchase option in his loan deal, set at 20 million euros, but has started just two Serie A games this season for the Rossoneri which suggests the club are unlikely to sign him on a permanent basis.
Barcelona Interested In Araujo Before
LA Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney has admitted that is not the first time that Barcelona have made a move for Araujo. The coach told reporters that the Catalans has asked about the defender previously, as reported by Marca.
“I think this is the second window that we’ve had some interaction with them about Julian. Pretty late in the window, did the discussion about what a deal would actually look like start to get really clearer and negotiated,” he said. “It was over the last 3-4 days where those discussions started to pick up and get momentum. Things started to happen fast, hence the reason it came down to the wire. He’s clearly someone they’ve had on their radar because in previous windows they’ve poked around and asked about him.”
Right-back has been a problem position for Barcelona over the last few years. Nelson Semedo, Aleix Vidal, Roberto, and Dest have all been tried in that position but have failed to make it their own. Araujo looks to be the next player set to be handed the chance to make the spot his own.
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Barcelona Coach Confirms Transfer: ‘I’m Delighted He’s Coming’