When Atlanta United signed Luiz Araujo from Ligue 1 champion Lille in August 2021 for around $10 million, the hope was that he could develop into one of the top attacking talents in MLS.
The price tag in and of itself raised some eyebrows due to Araujo’s 4g/2a statline at Lille in the 2020-21 season; the optimistic viewpoint was that Atlanta would be able to recoup that $10 million and much more. That’s on top of the fact that it was essentially a reverse of Atlanta United’s MO: seek emerging young talent from the South American ranks, develop them stateside, and sell high on the overseas market.