Atletico Madrid president reaffirms stance on Barcelona target Julian Alvarez | OneFootball

Barcelona are still trying to sign Julian Alvarez this summer, although their efforts until now have been repelled by Atletico Madrid. The Argentine striker revealed last week that he wants to leave the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, although this has done little to break the resolve of those trying to keep him in the Spanish capital.

Atleti have accused Barcelona of pressuring Alvarez into pushing for an exit, which has led them to file a complaint with FIFA and the Spanish Football Federation. Their fury over the situation would not have been eased by Joan Laporta breaking his silence on the saga on Wednesday, but prior to this, his opposite number Enrique Cerezo made it clear to RNE (via MD) that Los Colchoneros’ stance will not change.

Barcelona hope Atleti will cave after World Cup

Barcelona have acknowledged that Atleti are not prepared to sell Alvarez, but they expect this stance to change as the summer goes on. Laporta has claimed that once a replacement is found, the door would be opened for the Catalans to get their man, and in the meantime, they are prepared to table a new offer once the 2026 World Cup is over.

It remains to be seen how the situation with Alvarez plays out over the rest of the summer. Barcelona are putting all of their hopes into signing him, but if Atleti continue to stand firm, they may be forced to pursue alternatives – and this would be a disaster, given that the ones they’ve been linked with, such as Harry Kane and Eli Junior Kroupi, are slipping away.