At A Glance
- FC Barcelona President Joan Laporta is dreaming of signing Atlético Madrid forward Julian Alvarez this summer.
- Atlético are clear on their stance: They won’t make it easy for any club who shows formal interest in the Argentine.
- The Rojiblancos are also simultaneously working on offering Julian a fresh contract renewal.
Signing a striker is among FC Barcelona’s priorities this summer, with many options on their list.
There’s always been one name that stood out among the rest, though. Since being elected for a second stint at the helm in 2021, President Joan Laporta has also shown a great desire to land Atlético Madrid’s Julian Alvarez.
How realistic are hopes of a Julian Alvarez to FC Barcelona transfer?
Despite the president’s openness in bringing the striker to Catalunya this summer, a deal isn’t as straight forward as some might initially believe.
To begin with, Atlético Madrid are clear on their stance: They have NO intention of parting ways with their star player in the coming transfer window.
They want to keep Alvarez at the club, at all costs, so much so they’re prepared to offer him a fresh deal with improved contractual terms to persuade him to stay.
Additionally, considering the player’s age, contract, and projection, it would take a “significant” offer for Atlético to even be open to thinking of selling Alvarez, who is tied down until 2030 and rated at €200 million.
In recent weeks, Atleti’s current sporting director Mateu Alemany, who once held the post at the Spotify Camp Nou, provoked former friend and now-part nemesis Laporta by saying “he’s staying with us” in reference to Alvarez.
Barça’s hands are somewhat tied when it comes to spending, as they cannot invest heavy money in more than one position this summer.
Alessandro Bastoni currently looks like a priority after agreeing to join the Catalans for around €60 million plus bonuses.
And if they are successful in completing that deal, bringing in Julian Alvarez would be economically impossible in times of trying to navigate Financial Fair Play (FFP) and return to the 1:1 rule.
Everything’s in Julian’s hands
As Matteo Moretto reported, Alvarez hasn’t closed the door to a potential FC Barcelona transfer this summer in the same manner he hasn’t shut it on a renewal at Atlético Madrid.
It seems very evident that all options are still being evaluated by the player. Expecting a decision from Alvarez today is still premature and if there are any advancements in this story, it will likely be towards the closing ends of the season.
Regardless, as said, Barça managing to get both Alvarez and Bastoni is highly unlikely. The most probable scenario is that the club eventual rules one of them out to go for the other due to mentioned FFP constraints.
