Sergio Araujo will play for the rest of the season with AEK Athens, who currently lie sixth in the Greek first division table. The team is run by the spanish former Sevilla and Zaragoza trainer Manolo Jimenez, and will pay for the loan and will take care of an important part of the argentinian footballer´s salary.
Araujo, a UD Las Palmas icon since his arrival in 2014/15 season from Boca Juniors after finishing his loan period at another Argentinian team Tigre, contributed with his 25 goals to the promotion of the yellows to the top flight of Spanish football under the management of then trainer Paco Herrera. The second goal he scored against Real Zaragoza in the second leg of the playoff final on 21st June 2015 in the Estadio de Gran Canaria has gone down in yellows’ history, as it meant the return of his team back up to the top rung some thirteen years on. As Araujo is considered an important asset to the club, there is no purchasing option in this loan deal.
Araujo belongs to UD Las Palmas, who signed him on last season. Despite having a contract that runs until June 2020, he has not been able to get a regular place in the team this season. So far he has played in 11 league matches (five of them in the starting line-up, totalling 532 minutes of league action). He has scored two goals, one against Granada and the equalizing goal against Real Madrid. His appearance in the Spanish Cup was fleeting, just 15 minutes in the first leg of the tie against SD Huesca. Last season he scored 5 goals in the league.
The Argentinian will turn 25 this Saturday, and is set to travel tomorrow to the city of Athens. Once he has passed the medical check he will be officially introduced as an AEK Atenas player, a team where Branko Milovanovic also worked at as director of sport, and who is currently on scouting duty for UD Las Palmas.
