18 seconds deny Barcelona the inclusion of a defender from the American League

Barcelona's director of football, Matteo Alemani, said the La Liga leaders failed to sign Los Angeles Galaxy defender Julian Araujo after 18 seconds delay in signing the deal on the final day of last month's transfers.

And the Spanish newspaper AS reported that Barcelona tried to sign the 21-year-old right-back for $ 6.5 million until 2026.

"We could not register him due to a system error," Alemani told Movistar after the winter transfer window closed. "The difference was only 18 seconds. We'll see what FIFA says."

The Catalan club did not conclude any major deal last month, while defender Hector Bellerin went to Sporting Lisbon and striker Memphis Depay to Atletico Madrid.

Barcelona leads the league with 50 points, eight points ahead of Real Madrid, who face Valencia later today.

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news