LA Galaxy & FC Barcelona confirm Julian Araujo transfer
LA Galaxy and FC Barcelona finally confirmed the transfer of right back Julian Araujo.
The Mexican national team right back secured his long-desired move to La Liga, earning a club-record $4m transfer to Barcelona on Friday – over two weeks past the January window closing.
The defender’s move from LA Galaxy to Barcelona initially fell through during deadline day after FIFA confirmed the documentation for the transfer was filed too late. Despite both teams filing an appeal for the deal, the global football governing body denied the case.
Barcelona director of football Mateu Alemany confirmed a 'system error' caused his club to miss the midnight deadline at the end of the transfer window by a matter of just 18 seconds.
But after several attempts, Araujo finally sealed his transfer to Spain's top division.
"Julian joining FC Barcelona is a great story of a young kid from Southern California coming into the LA Galaxy Academy, through LA Galaxy II and excelling with the first team,” said LA Galaxy head coach and sporting director Greg Vanney.
"As we continue to evolve as a club, we’re leaning heavily into the LA Galaxy Academy development side. We are going to help develop players who can play at the biggest clubs in the world, but can also help the LA Galaxy win championships. We wish Julián all the best in the next phase of his career."
The defender signed a deal through the 2026 campaign. The Galaxy will retain a sell-on percentage of the transfer fee if Araujo is sold to another club.
The move is a dream come true for the player, who affirmed his desire to move abroad in an exclusive interview with 90min.
“I definitely want to go to Europe. It’s my dream. My goal is to go to Europe. I want to reach my highest potential and I feel like going to Europe is going to help me do that,” he said to 90min.
“I’m someone that wants to learn everyday, someone that takes advice from everybody, that wants to learn. I know, like I said, to reach my highest potential I need to go play in the best, the top leagues.”
Araujo is set to depart as one of Major League Soccer’s brightest young defensive talents, becoming an integral part of LA Galaxy and earning appearances with the Mexican national team. Overall, he tallied one goal and 20 assists in 100 appearances for the Galaxy.