Barca boss Laporta reiterates desire to sign Alvarez, piles pressure on Atleti to sell

In statements made to the official media of Barcelona, the president took a calm approach, avoiding confrontation with the club that holds the registration rights of the Argentine striker.

"We are very interested in the player; we would like our offer to be accepted. And we do this with the utmost respect for Atletico Madrid and want them to know that, if they are willing to sell during this summer transfer window, we would be ready to buy the player in accordance with the offer we have already made," Laporta stated in Catalan.

Later, in statements released by the Blaugrana club, the president explained how the whole process and negotiations with Atletico for Julian Alvarez have unfolded:

"Let me start by saying that at FC Barcelona we have absolute respect for Atletico Madrid and their directors, whom we have known for many years and hold in personal regard. This is how things have gone. At the time, Barca made an offer to Atletico Madrid for Julian, an offer we consider very significant, especially since our coach is genuinely interested in the player," Laporta explained.

He added that: "I confirmed this offer by phone in a personal call to Miguel Angel Gil to make it clear that we want the player. He told me they are not selling because they have no alternative, and I said to him: 'When you have an alternative, if it is still within this summer window, we are here so that, if you then want to sell, we are ready to acquire the player's services.'"

In response to this proposal, Laporta revealed that: "Miguel Angel basically told me they had no intention of selling. He insisted because they had no alternative and so on, but that's where it was left. I spoke with Deco and said: 'Look, put it on standby because it seems that, since there is no alternative, they are not selling. What happened? We received information that Atletico Madrid is in negotiations with other clubs or talking to other clubs to explore the possibility of selling Julian."

Following this information, the Barca president pointed out, "this puts us in a position where we are maintaining our offer and would like them to sell to us, not to another club. That's why we made some moves through people we trust who also have relationships with Atletico Madrid's directors. And well, they confirmed to us that they were not selling, but we kept receiving information that there were ongoing talks."

'We'd like to reach an understanding'

For this reason, Laporta insisted that "having said that, we have only acted to say that Barca's proposal remains valid in case they want to sell. It's common knowledge that the player wants to come to Barca. Therefore, we maintain our hope, our intention, always with the utmost respect for Atletico Madrid, to be able to sign the player."

"And I respect whatever statements the Atletico Madrid directors make, but we have lived up to the circumstances required in a case like this, just as we have done when signing other players from other clubs during this summer window, where, by talking to the clubs, we have reached an understanding. We would like to reach an understanding with Atletico Madrid. We are maintaining our offer to Atletico Madrid," he reiterated.

He added, in conclusion, that: "I hope there can be an understanding between the two clubs, among all of us, so that, if they sell the player, it is Barca who can acquire the services of Julian Alvarez. And I repeat, we do this with the utmost respect for Atlético de Madrid, for their directors, and for the club as a whole."

The proposal that Barcelona made to the Colchoneros, which was already categorically rejected, was around €100 million, far from the €150 million that Real Madrid formally and publicly offered just days after Florentino Perez was re-elected as president of Los Blancos.

Alvarez already stated during the World Cup his desire to leave Atletico "to fulfil a dream." He repeated this wish as soon as he returned and joined preseason, but neither Diego Simeone, Gil, nor Enrique Cerezo have given in. On the contrary, they have insisted that his staying at Atletico is essential to continue competing on equal terms with Europe's top clubs.