Julián Araujo can now become a Barcelona player. FIFA had blocked the January transfer as the paperwork arrived 18 seconds after the deadline.

In the wake of FIFA’s decision not to allow Araujo's move from LA Galaxy, Barça lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

And the CAS has reportedly upheld Barcelona’s legal challenge, enabling the Blaugrana to complete the signing of the Mexican international.

“We’d been tracking him for a while,” Barça director Mateu Alemany says. “His transfer didn’t go through because of a glitch in FIFA’s [online] system.”

As a youth player, US-born Araujo attended a Barça-affiliated academy in Arizona. He’s set to sign for the club until 2026 and start off in the ‘B’ team.

After Héctor Bellerín's departure, however, Barça have no out-and-out right-backs - so Araujo has a good chance of breaking into the senior side.

Ronald Araujo is chiefly a central defender, Sergi Roberto is more of a midfielder, and Jules Koundé is a hybrid between centre-back and right-back.

Capped three times by Mexico, Julián Araujo is an energetic full-back who offers direct, incisive attacking play. He has a pass-completion rate over 85%.

An integral part of his team’s build-up play, he can carry the ball through defensive lines. He provides plenty of penetration in transitions. 

Araujo will be the seventh Mexican to play for Barça, following in the footsteps of the likes of Rafa Márquez, and Giovani and Jonathan dos Santos.