FIFA rule against Barcelona in appeal to register Julian Araujo as their new player - Reports

FIFA have reportedly denied Barcelona's attempt to sign Julian Araujo from LA Galaxy. As per ESPN, the transfer was submitted after the January transfer window deadline had already passed, resulting in its rejection.

Barcelona had reportedly agreed on a transfer fee of up to €4 million with LA Galaxy in order to bring Araujo in as a replacement for Hector Bellerin, who recently joined Sporting CP.

ESPN reported that Barcelona's director of football, Mateu Alemany, stated that a 'system error' led to them missing the transfer deadline by 18 seconds. Alemany had expressed his hope that a review would allow the deal to be concluded.

However, FIFA officially ruled against the move on Friday (3 February), making it clear that the transfer would not happen.

A FIFA spokesperson (via ESPN) regarding the ruling:

"FIFA can confirm that the transfer of the player Julian Araujo from LA Galaxy to FC Barcelona was not completed in line with the applicable regulations."

Initially, Barca and LA Galaxy had reached an agreement in which the Catalans would loan Araujo with an option to purchase 50% of his rights for €2 million. Additionally, they would be able to purchase an additional 40% of his rights for €2 million at a later date.

According to ESPN's sources, the agreement included a clause that would let Barcelona potentially cancel the agreement, though it is unclear if the Catalan club would have incurred a financial penalty.

However, a source familiar with the negotiations reported that the deal 'structure was changed', which put off the transfer for longer than expected.

Julian Araujo has firmly cemented himself as an up-and-coming star for the LA Galaxy, having first signed for the Galaxy reserve team in 2018. Since then, he has gone on to make 107 appearances for the side, scoring two goals and providing a total of 16 assists.

The right-back's talents have also been recognized at the international level, as he initially represented the United States at the senior team level. He notably made a single appearance before switching allegiance to Mexico in October of 2021, for whom he has made three appearances.

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Galaxy head coach discusses Araujo, following failed Barcelona transfer

The MLS side were close to selling their star talent in the January transfer window, and head coach Greg Vanney discussed the events that took place.

Speaking after Araujo returned to the club, the head coach said (via ESPN):

"This is, I think, the second window that we've had some interaction with them [Barcelona] about Julian [Araujo]. The discussion about what a deal would actually look like, started to get really clear and negotiating. So, it was over the last three to four days where those discussions started to pick up and get momentum."

He continued:

"And things started to happen fast, hence the reason why it went down to the wire. But it's clearly someone that they've had on their radar because in previous windows they've poked around and asked about him."