The saga surrounding Julián Álvarez continues, with Barcelona still trying to sign him, even though Atlético has made it clear that it doesn’t want to sell him. At least not to a team it considers a direct competitor.
“We have made a significant, very significant offer because our coach has a genuine interest in the player. I confirmed this offer in a personal phone call with Miguel Ángel Gil (editor’s note: CEO of Atlético), to confirm that we want the player,” emphasized Barcelona president Joan Laporta.
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Atlético informed “Barça” that it has no intention of selling the Argentine forward because it has not found a replacement, to which Laporta replied: “When you have an alternative, if it’s within this summer transfer window, we’re ready.”
Seeing that the matter was not moving forward, Laporta initially backed off, but when he learned that Atlético was in talks with other teams about selling Álvarez (e.g., Arsenal), he returned to the discussion. “This information means that we are still standing by our offer and that we would like them to sell him to us, not to another club,” Laporta said.
In fact, he emphasized that, according to information the club has received, the player wants to play for the Catalan team. “It seems that the player wants to come to Barça, so we remain hopeful—and it is our intention, with all due respect to Atlético Madrid—that we will be able to sign the player,” he said.
The Barcelona president repeatedly emphasized his respect for Atlético and its management, maintaining that “Barça” acted correctly throughout the process. “Let me state from the outset that Barça has the utmost respect for Atlético and its management, whom we have known for many years and for whom we have personal regard. Barça has risen to the occasion. “We would like to reach an agreement with Atlético. We stand by our proposal, our offer to Atlético, and we hope that an agreement will be reached between the two clubs,” the president concluded.
*photo source: AP
