According to sources close to the negotiations Julian Araujo will be loaned to Las Palmas for the remainder of the La Liga season.
This week, the Mexico international will travel to the Canary Islands to finalize the transfer, which does not include a permanent contract option.
The 21-year-old Araujo joined Barcelona from LA Galaxy last season, but he has yet to make his debut for the club due to the fact that his transfer occurred outside of the transfer window.
Since February, he has been training with the first team. At the beginning of June, he played in a friendly against Vissel Kobe, allowing coach Xavi Hernandez to evaluate him.
Barça has decided that his development will be best served by a loan to a Spanish club this season, allowing him regular playing time and the opportunity to adjust to La Liga.
Las Palmas, coached by ex-Barca B manager Garcia Pimienta, returned to the Spanish Primera Division after finishing second in the Segunda Division behind Granada.
Araujo’s transfer to Barcelona made headlines in January due to the fact that the documents required to register the transaction missed the Jan. 31 deadline by mere seconds.
Nevertheless, Barcelona finalized the transfer, bringing him to the club in February so he could train with the team and adjust to a new country.
Araujo, who was born in California and made over 100 appearances for the Galaxy in MLS, had previously been capped by the United States at junior and senior levels, but in 2021 he declared for Mexico, his parent’s country of origin.
Since then, he has made 10 appearances for El Tri and was a member of the squad that won the Gold Cup this summer, although he did not play in the final against Panama.
