Julian Araujo was the only notable acquisition Barcelona made during the winter transfer window, signing the young right-back from LA Galaxy in a deal worth around €4 million.
However, the transfer was not authorised by FIFA as the paperwork arrived 18 seconds late. That meant the youngster is not eligible to feature for Barcelona this season.
But according to a recent report from Mundo Deportivo, Julian Araujo has already started training with the Barcelona first team. Shortly following the defeat against Almeria, the youngster enjoyed his first training session with the senior setup.
Araujo was under the supervision of Xavi Hernandez, who will be keen on getting his troops’ confidence back following back-to-back defeats against Manchester United and Almeria respectively.
Along with Araujo, a few players from the Barça Atletic side also trained with the first team including Lucas Roman, Txus Alba, and Angel Alarcon, who was even handed a few minutes in the game against Almeria.
Araujo himself is currently part of the Barça Atletic side, under the guidance of his compatriot Rafael Marquez. The idea to sign him in the January transfer window was to help him get to grips with Barcelona’s style of play, before he is ready to play for the first-team from next season.
Given Barcelona’s current struggles in the right-back position, coupled with the club’s economic distress, Araujo does have an excellent opportunity to become a trusted option for Xavi from next season onwards.
In the meantime, though, Araujo will focus on making an impression during the training sessions with the first team, as Barcelona prepare for the matches ahead.
