Barcelona secured the signing of Julian Araujo from LA Galaxy earlier this year, but the 21-year-old is yet to make an appearance for the club as his transfer was not ratified by FIFA due to some paperwork delays.
Heading into the new season, though, that will be rectified and the Mexican international will be eligible to feature for Barcelona.
And while he could feature for the Blaugrana, there is no guarantee that the 21-year-old will stay at the club and get minutes in the upcoming season.
Indeed, according to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez will take a closer look at Araujo during the pre-season and if the right-back does not convince, he will be sent out on loan to a club in Europe.
Araujo has no experience whatsoever when it comes to European football, given that he had spent his entire career at LA Galaxy before joining Barcelona.
As such, there could be difficulties for the 21-year-old to get used to this level, especially if he does not get regular minutes, which could end up being the case if Barcelona sign Ivan Fresneda this summer.
In case the 18-year-old does arrive, Araujo would fall behind him, Sergi Roberto, and Jules Kounde in the pecking order, which would erase any possibility of him getting regular game-time at the club.
Hence, there is a possibility that Araujo could be sent out on loan to a club in Europe. There is interest in the Mexican international from Eredivisie giants Feyenoord.
Much will depend on how the young defender fares during the pre-season and whether he manages to convince Xavi of keeping him around in the first-team setup for the upcoming campaign.
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