Only a few hours after news of an agreement between FC Barcelona and FC Porto about the sale of Nico Gonzalez first surfaced, it now appears that the Portuguese powerhouses are prepared to sign another young player from the Catalan team.
According to SPORT, Porto and Barcelona are nearing a deal for right-back Julian Araujo to join on a loan with a buy option.
The 21-year-old is also believed to have given his OK to the move.
Araujo joined Barça around the end of the winter transfer season, but the club did not register him as it was too late to file the necessary paperwork.
As such, he didn’t play any competitive football during the second part of the season as he alternated between training with the first team and Barça Atletic.
Given that Araujo has zero experience playing in Europe, it was always conceivable that he might be sent out on loan going into the new season.
However, it was believed that Xavi would be open to giving him a chance on the pre-season tour. But earlier today, reports emerged claiming that Porto were interested in signing him on loan for the upcoming season.
🚨| EXCLUSIVE: Negotiations between Barcelona and Porto for Julián Araujo. The two clubs are talking about a loan deal. #fcblive 🔵🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/ujvZkQbKHM
— BarçaTimes (@BarcaTimes) July 20, 2023
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The Portuguese giants are on the lookout for a new right-back and even though there were some links to Sergino Dest, they have narrowed in on Araujo as their preferred target.
They broached the topic of the Mexican international during the talks for Nico and an agreement is now understood to be close, with Porto getting their hands on Araujo on a loan deal with an option to purchase.
With the player having given his ‘OK’ to the transfer, there is a good chance that things could accelerate in the coming hours.
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