Barcelona president Joan Laporta answers Atlético chief over Julián Álvarez saga | OneFootball

As the end of the World Cup 2026 approaches, the operation involving FC Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, and the Argentine forward Julian Alvarez is once again heating up. The two clubs, both not in any mood to give up on their plans regarding the star striker, have made their positions quite visible in the last few days.

Since his re-election as president of the Blaugrana club, Joan Laporta has commented several times on his club’s desire to obtain the player. Meanwhile, the Colchoneros have also made it clear that they are not going to part with the Argentine international.

Only a day ago, the Atletico Madrid CEO, Gil Martin, made it categorically clear that they will not sell Alvarez for any price, and they intend to continue counting on him going into the 2026-27 season. The Colchonero official was also highly critical of Laporta’s role in this entire saga.

Now, as Mundo Deportivo has reported, the Barcelona president has responded to Gil’s comments. He did so while attending an event organized by RFEF in the USA ahead of the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina. Laporta reiterated that they have put in a good offer for Alvarez:

“We have submitted an offer. He is a player our coach wants, and that is why we made the offer to Atlético Madrid. It is a very significant offer for us, a very, very good one.”

As opposed to the Atletico Madrid CEO, the Barcelona president aired his opinion in a more composed and respectful manner, as he stressed how difficult it is for big clubs to retain players beyond their desire:

“I respect everyone’s opinion. I respect Miguel Ángel’s opinion and everyone else’s.”

“There have been so many cases where it was said that a player would never join Barça, and yet he ended up coming…”

“When a player wants to leave, Barça’s attitude as a club is that if a player wants to leave Barça, we will not stand in his way. A big club cannot afford to keep players who are unhappy.”

Finally, Laporta doubled down on his warning that the current offer has an expiry date:

“It is not unlimited in time. We will give a reasonable deadline. I would say until the end of the month.”

“It is no longer just a matter of the offer being made. If there is also a good offer, it has to be taken.”

Going forward, it remains to be seen how the Julian Alvarez saga will pan out. The Argentine will be playing his last World Cup 2026 game tonight, the final against Spain, and after that, the next few days will be crucial in determining the direction of his future career.