After a relatively quiet winter transfer window, Barcelona were scrambling on the deadline day to get deals done. Having sanctioned Hector Bellerin’s exit, the Catalans pushed hard to bring in a new right-back and seemed to have struck a deal for LA Galaxy’s Julian Araujo.
The 21-year-old Mexican international had been on the Blaugrana’s radars for some time now and they managed to agree to a €4 million deal with LA Galaxy for his signing.
Personal terms were also agreed and the move looked set to be completed, but the club missed the deadline to file the necessary documents by 18 seconds, due to which FIFA has not authorised the transfer.
Now, Fabrizio Romano is reporting that Barcelona will continue to follow Araujo for the future after seeing their deal to sign him last month collapse.
With the move not materialising, the Mexican will go back to playing for LA Galaxy, with the MLS season set to start later this month.
And, it seems like Barça will be keeping track of how the Mexican international performs and progresses with an eye on signing him in the future.
The right-back slot has been an issue for the La Liga leaders for many years now. While Jules Kounde has been performing admirably in the role of late, the Frenchman sees himself as a centre-back and would prefer to return to his natural habitat.
So, it becomes imperative for Barcelona to bring in a new right-sided full-back in the summer. Benjamin Pavard of Bayern Munich has been heavily linked of late, although the Blaugrana do not intend to meet his €30 million valuation.
Other options like Juan Foyth of Villarreal and Borussia Dortmund’s Thomas Meunier also remain on the agenda.
As for Julian Araujo, LA Galaxy head coach and interim CSO Greg Vanney recently said that the defender was still in limbo as the club were yet to receive an official ruling on his transfer.
“Jules is still a bit in limbo. We haven’t gotten official documentation, we haven’t gotten an official ruling,” he said (h/t Tom Bogert).
But, Romano’s update states that ‘it is definitely over’ and that FIFA has not green-lighted the transfer, with an appeal unlikely to change the ruling. So, only time will tell whether Barcelona reignite their interest in the LA Galaxy defender come summer.
