Barcelona to sign MLS star as Bellerin replacement

James Shearman

• 31 Jan 2023 19:55 GMT
• 3 min read

Barcelona are close to signing Julian Araujo from MLS club LA Galaxy, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Araujo has already agreed personal terms with La Blaugrana, with the two clubs nearing an agreement on the transfer fee.

The defender will arrive as a replacement for former Arsenal man Hector Bellerin.

Premier League 2022/23 January transfers: All the Done Deals

Araujo made 32 league starts for Galaxy in the 2022 season, scoring once and providing five assists.

At 21 years of age, Barca head coach Xavi will be hoping that he can develop into the club's long-term solution in the right-back position.

Bellerin to Sporting?

Hector Bellerin is set to join Sporting Lisbon on loan for the rest of the season, according to The Athletic.

This temporary transfer will then open the door for Spurs to complete the signing of current Sporting right-back Pedro Porro in a big-money deal.

Sporting had initially wanted to sign Tariq Lamptey from Brighton to replace Porro but could not afford him.

Bellerin is a former Barcelona youth team player, who returned to Camp Nou last summer on a free transfer after 11 years away.

The defender signed a one-year contract after his deal at Arsenal expired at the end of last season.

He suffered from a muscle injury in the early part of the season, missing almost a month of action between September and October.

Upon his return, he was a major disappointment. He struggled badly in the 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich and in the 4-2 win over Viktoria Plzen.

This cost him his chance of ever winning over manager Xavi, who informed the club to let him go this month.