Barcelona may have to pay €150m for Julian Alvarez as Atletico Madrid set terms for potential summer exit | OneFootball

Barcelona may have to pay €150 million if they want to sign primary target Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid this summer (Mundo Deportivo).

Alvarez is one of a few big names on their summer shortlist to replace Robert Lewandowski.

However, Barcelona have been told it will take an earth-shattering proposal to lure him away from the Metropolitano Stadium this summer.

After successfully retaining the La Liga title, Barcelona have turned their attention to the summer transfer market in search of a player who can lead the line for the foreseeable future.

Alvarez ticks that box for the Blaugranas, but stumping up the fee will be a huge problem considering Barcelona’s well-documented financial woes.

Intriguingly, that hasn’t stopped them from plotting one of the biggest coups in recent times.

Atletico were previously uninterested in even discussing a potential sale. But they’ve become more amenable in recent weeks.

Manager Diego Simeone has been pushing the club to do everything in their power to keep Alvarez, who bagged 20 goals and nine assists in 49 games this season.

“A very important player, the best we have,” Simeone said when asked about Alvarez months ago.

“Let’s hope he gives us more in what lies ahead because we need him. Julian is the best footballer we have. We need to take care of him, so he stays here at Atletico for many years.”

However, his tone has changed recently, especially after reports began circulating that the 26-year-old World Cup winner wants to leave the club in search of a new adventure.

“It’s not a question for me, it’s a question for Julian,” Simeone said when asked about Alvarez’s future again following the 5-1 defeat against Villarreal.

“He’s old enough to know what he’s going to do, and I imagine he’s already made his decision.”

Atletico want Alvarez to decide on his future before the World Cup starts on June 11.

Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal are also in the mix, which makes life more difficult for Barcelona.

They have also been linked with Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane and Chelsea’s Joao Pedro.