Scandal continues! Barcelona hit back hard at Atlético over Álvarez statement
Barcelona are not backing down in the increasingly heated battle for Julián Álvarez.
Details: Barcelona president Joan Laporta has issued a statement through the club's official social media channels, explaining the Catalans' version of events surrounding their pursuit of Atlético Madrid striker Julián Álvarez. His comments come amid a fierce public dispute after Atlético insisted there was a 0% chance of selling the Argentine to Barcelona and said the matter had become one of dignity rather than money.
Laporta decided to explain the negotiations in detail and stressed that Barcelona initially approached Atlético directly and respected the Madrid club's refusal to sell the forward. However, according to the Barcelona president, the situation changed after the Catalans received information that Atlético had started negotiating with other clubs.
Laporta said:
“I’d like to explain how everything happened, because at Barcelona we made an offer to Atlético de Madrid, club to club. I personally confirmed that offer during a private phone conversation I had with Miguel Ángel Gil Marín. He told me they had no intention of selling the player because they didn’t have a replacement for him looking toward the future. I told him we were interested in the player and that, of course, we respected their position of not wanting to sell him. But if they found a replacement during the current summer transfer window, we’d be interested in signing him. So, after Atlético Madrid confirmed they wouldn’t sell him, we said: ‘Okay, we’ll leave it for later,’ because, in principle, they didn’t have a replacement and therefore we couldn’t sign the player. What happened next? We received information at the club that Atlético de Madrid was negotiating with other clubs about selling the player. Naturally, after receiving that information, we said we were still holding our proposal and our offer, because everyone knows the player wants to come to Barcelona.”
It is worth noting that Álvarez joined Atlético Madrid from Manchester City in 2024. Since then, the Argentine forward has recorded 49 goals and 17 assists in 107 appearances for the Madrid club.
Reminder: Scandal! Atlético hit Barcelona with brutal Álvarez statement
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
