Barcelona’s move for defender in danger of collapsing because of late paperwork

Barcelona were reportedly closing in on the signing of LA Galaxy right-back Julian Araujo on a permanent transfer. The two parties had agreed on a deal, and the player had agreed personal terms much before the final hours of the window.

Araujo was supposed to be sign with Barcelona Atletic making his registration easier. He was expected to be part of the senior side, though, much like Alejandro Balde and Gavi this season.

However, it being deadline day, the drama is far from over. According to the ever-reliable Toni Juanmarti, Barcelona do not know if they have signed him or not. The nervousness at the club has increased because the paperwork for the transfer arrived after the deadline.

The signatures took longer than expected, which means there is legit danger of the deal collapsing in the final minutes.

Barcelona are no new customers to deadline day chaos under Joan Laporta, though.

During the 2021 summer transfer window, deals for Antoine Griezmann to Atletico Madrid, and Luuk de Jong to Barcelona had reportedly collapsed in the final minutes, before they went through eventually.

In January 2022, too, Barcelona miraculously pulled off Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s signing at the last-possible minute, even though it was rumoured the transfer had not been completed.

Not to forget the craziness that transpired during Marcos Alonso and Bellerin’s signing in the summer of 2022, and the registration chaos surrounding Jules Kounde, Raphinha, and Robert Lewandowski.

The January transfer window for this year shut down at 12:00 AM CET, and the threat of Julian Araujo’s signing falling through is real. More news expected imminently, though.