F.C. Barcelona is close to signing LA Galaxy star right-back Julián Araujo for a transfer fee of $4.3 million, according to multiple reports. The move would mark Barcelona’s only addition in the January transfer window and the second transaction between Barcelona and the Galaxy in the last year.
Barcelona has been linked to Araujo since the 2022 summer transfer window, but the club opted to go in a different direction with Héctor Bellerín, who spent a large part of his youth career with La Blaugrana and was a free transfer. With Bellerín now on his way to Sporting CP, Barcelona circled back to Araujo for some much-needed insurance at right-back.
A native of Southern California, Araujo was brought up through the Galaxy’s youth academy. In 2019, when Araujo was 17, the Galaxy traded $50,000 in Targeted Allocation Money to the Colorado Rapids in order to claim Araujo off of waivers. Since then, Araujo has emerged as on the premier fullbacks in the MLS, making each of the last two MLS All-Star games and starting 89 games for the Galaxy.
Araujo, 21, will face stiff competition for playing time at Barcelona with Sergi Roberto and Jules Koundé already well-established at the club, and rising star Alejandro Balde capable of playing both sides. But with Barcelona’s B team, where he’ll be registered due to La Liga’s financial fair play rules, Araujo should have plenty of opportunities to see the field, and in the event of injury, he’ll likely be one of the first names called up.
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Araujo represents Mexico at the national level. He has one senior cap with the United States men’s national team and played for the U.S. at the youth level, but he submitted his one-time switch to FIFA to join Mexico in 2021. Araujo has three caps with Mexican men’s national team.
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