Arsenal are also among the teams keeping an eye on Julián Álvarez, who is keen to move to Barcelona, but the Spanish giants insist there is a deadline for any offer.
Julian Alvarez firmly opens the door to leaving Atletico Madrid (Image: NurPhoto, NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Barcelona insist that a lucrative offer to sign Julián Álvarez from Atletico Madrid will take time to get an answer.
The Argentine wants to move to Camp Nou this summer after two excellent years at the Wanda Metropolitano. Barcelona themselves are looking to add to their squad after confirming that Robert Lewandowski will leave the club when his contract expires.
The Catalans have also attracted the attention of Arsenal, who have moved to sign Alvarez, who is currently away at the World Cup. But President Joan Laporta warned they wanted answers.
Regarding the offer for Alvarez, the Barcelona manager said: “We have made a non-restrictive offer and we will announce in due course how long the offer will be pending.”
“This offer was made with the intention of signing a player who is attractive to both sports management and coaches. I think he is a great player. We remain a substantial offer, but the validity of this offer is not unlimited.”
Álvarez joined Atletico from Manchester City and impressed every time he took to the pitch, but was ultimately replaced by Erling Haaland. The La Liga side spent £81.5m on the striker but will need to make a substantial profit before considering a sale.
Atletico are also desperate to avoid a sale to direct rivals Barcelona, with the Spanish champions insisting they will not be pushed into a corner. “When it comes to signing Julien, obviously we are not going to dance to someone else’s tune. We set the pace,” Laporta said.
Barcelona insist their offer for the Argentine player will not be finalized indefinitely (Image: Javier Borrego/Europe Press via Getty Images)
“I spoke to (Atlético CEO) Miguel Ángel Gil. As always, we spoke very clearly and openly and I understand that we have a very good relationship with them. There was some confusion at first about the offer we made, but I made it clear to him.
“From what I understand, we are not putting any more pressure on them. As long as they have an alternative (for Alvarez), this offer remains on the table and that is what it is. We just told him there will be no further progress for the time being.”
Atlético have already rejected a huge bid from Real Madrid. Arsenal will need to break the £105m transfer record if they join the party, as Mikel Arteta looks to make a big move to improve quality in the final third.
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