Joan Laporta fires back after Atletico Madrid’s attack on Barcelona’s Julian Alvarez bid: ‘Big club cannot afford to have unhappy players’ | OneFootball

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has once again made it clear that the club’s pursuit of Julian Alvarez is far from over. 

Despite Atletico Madrid continuing to insist that the Argentine striker is not for sale, the Blaugrana remain hopeful of keeping negotiations alive.

Speaking ahead of the FIFA World Cup final, Laporta confirmed that Barcelona have already submitted an official proposal for the Argentina international. 

While the club is waiting for Atletico’s response, the president also suggested that a transfer ultimately depends on the player’s wishes as much as the financial agreement between both clubs.

Barcelona’s Julian Alvarez offer is active

Barcelona have never hidden their admiration for Julian Alvarez, and Laporta once again explained just how highly the club rates the Atletico Madrid forward.

Explaining Barcelona’s position, the president said: “We’re still on the table with an offer. 

“He’s a player our manager wants, which is why we made the offer to Atletico Madrid. It’s a very important and very, very good offer for us.”

Although Atletico chief Miguel Angel Gil Marin has ruled out any possibility of selling the striker, Laporta chose not to escalate the situation publicly.

Instead, he responded diplomatically, saying, “I respect everyone’s opinion. I respect Miguel Ángel’s opinion and everyone else’s.”

Even so, the Barcelona president hinted that transfer stories can change direction.

“There are so many cases where it’s been said that a player would never go to Barça and yet he’s ended up coming,” he added.

Barcelona set deadline for Julian Alvarez transfer

Laporta also revealed that Barcelona will not wait indefinitely for a resolution.

Barcelona have an offer on the table for Julian Alvarez. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Discussing the timeline surrounding the club’s proposal, he explained: “It is not open-ended. We will set a reasonable deadline. I would say until the end of the month.”

The president then delivered perhaps the clearest indication yet of Barcelona’s thinking regarding the transfer market and player power.

He stated: “When a player wants to leave, Barça’s stance as a club is that, if a player wants to leave Barça, we’ll give him a golden handshake. 

“A big club cannot afford to have players who are unhappy.”

Before concluding, Laporta stressed that successful negotiations depend on more than submitting the highest bid.

As he put it, “It’s no longer just a question of the offer made, but also, if there is a good offer, we have to take advantage of it.”