Reports: Luiz Araujo seals move to Brazilian club Flamengo in summer transfer window

Coming off the heels of a standout performance Wednesday night against the Colorado Rapids, Luiz Araujo seems to have some significant interest from Brazilian club Flamengo. Fred Gomez and Letícia Marques from massive Brazilian media outlet Grupo reported Thursday morning that the details are still being ironed out, but that the contract is expected to be a long one and that he is expected to arrive in Brazil when the window opens on July 3. MLS’s transfer window opens on July 5, but is only relevant for incoming players.

UPDATE: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Doug Roberson has confirmed the report, and with that we can now presume that this deal will be completed next month.

The move will definitely make Atlanta United’s summer transfer window very interesting. Thiago Almada will also certainly receive plenty of offers, and though the club seems to be more confident that he’ll remain until the end of the season, he could potentially field an offer that’s simply too good to refuse. Club president Garth Lagerwey and the front office would have plenty of room to continue their pursuit of Designated Players in the same vein as Giorgos Giakoumakis and utilize their improved analytics to give the best possible chance of hitting on players who can truly make the team gel.

Luiz Araujo’s time at Atlanta United has been met with criticism based on his goal and assist numbers, but there’s no denying he’s a talented player. Perhaps a change of scenery would be best for both parties; Araujo would return to his home country and a massive club, while the Five Stripes would free up a DP slot to continue pushing forward in the second half of the season.

There were rumors prior to the season that São Paulo was also interested in Araujo, but those reports seem to have since faded.

Keep an eye out on Dirty South Soccer over the next month and a half to see how this plays out.