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Another twist in what has been an unbelievably chaotic week of Atlanta United rumors as the Five Stripes are now being linked with a last-minute move for Lille winger Luiz Araujo. Famed French outlet L’Équipe reported on Thursday that the club are close to signing the 25-year-old attacker just before the MLS transfer deadline closes. The transfer fee is said to be in the region of €10 million.
Transferts : Luiz Araujo (Lille) vers Atlanta United
— L'ÉQUIPE (@lequipe) August 5, 2021
L'attaquant lillois Luiz Araujo devrait rapidement s'engager avec la franchise de MLS. Le Brésilien partirait du LOSC pour 10 M€. https://t.co/9GsgIuSakd pic.twitter.com/BXCh3IAXpi
This comes as quite the surprise as Atlanta have been linked to numerous attacking players over the past week, most recently were said to be close to signing Gremio winger Ferreira. No news of that move has come out, but it seems impossible for both signings to happen. So, we can only assume that move has broken down at the last minute, perhaps after the club got a look at his medical records.
In any case, this appears to be a last-minute attempt to get something over the line. Stay tuned for more updates throughout the day and night.
** Update
MLSsoccer.com’s Tom Bogert is confirming L’Equipe’s earlier report that Atlanta’s deal for Araujo is close to being finalized.
A source confirms that agreements are in place between Atlanta United and Lille for winger Luiz Araujo for nearly $12 million, as first reported by L'Equipe.
— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) August 5, 2021
Don't have further info on paperwork/etc ahead of tonight's transfer deadline, so can't say it's 100% done yet.