Barça is moving for Julián Álvarez, even knowing the difficulty involved in signing the Argentine footballer. The Barcelona sporting director, Deco, has traveled to Madrid along with one of his collaborators, Joao Amaral, with the intention of meeting today with the attacker’s agent, Fernando Hidalgo, as reported by the newspaper ‘Sport’ and ‘Jijantes’ and confirmed by this newspaper. Julián, who is still on vacation after the end of the World Cup, must rejoin Atlético’s discipline next Monday. During the World Cup tournament, the Argentine already took a step forward and stated that he wanted to leave the rojiblanco team to fulfill his dreams. Since then, he has maintained absolute silence. Deco is looking to unblock the signing and design, together with the footballer’s environment, the steps to take to approach it definitively.
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Because despite the debate also open about Ferran Torres’ future, in the offices the priority remains Julián Álvarez. Both the technical secretariat and Hansi Flick consider that there are few profiles that fit the associative number nine that the German coach is looking for. But there is also no feeling that they should obsess or lose their heads over a center forward in a market where offensive versatility has already been reinforced with the signings of Karim Adeyemi and Anthony Gordon. Not losing your head is one thing and not making efforts to bring in a number nine is another.
The number 1 option as a number nine for Barça remains Julián Álvarez
In any case, the Argentine’s name remains strong on the table despite the reluctance and the complaint filed by Atlético de Madrid, which has not yet formally responded to Barcelona’s offer of 100 million euros. It has done so publicly through statements by its CEO, Miguel Ángel Gil Marín, and through a complaint considering that the blaugrana club has tried to sign Julián Álvarez by forcing his departure for an amount below his release clause, set at 500 million euros, and following procedures they consider inappropriate with a player who has a contract in force until 2030. At Barça, however, they will present allegations to the Spanish Federation and interpret this complaint as a maneuver to generate noise. They also recall that contacts with the player’s agent – and not with the player himself – are part of the usual routine of the transfer market. In fact, most teams first reach an agreement with the player and then with the club in question.
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The reality is that, for now, if Julián does not arrive, Barcelona does not have a clear plan B. In the market, they do not find another forward who meets the sporting and economic requirements they seek. Harry Kane has never been a real option because his intention has always been to continue at Bayern. Erling Haaland, with a contract with Manchester City until 2034, is an unfeasible operation in every sense.
Meanwhile, Ferran Torres continues on vacation with PSG’s interest on the table. The club does not want to sell him. Flick has publicly reiterated his confidence in the Valencian, who finished last season offering excellent performance as an offensive reference with 21 official goals. “I spoke with him during the World Cup, but now they are on vacation and I respect that; he is our player and showed in many matches last season how important he can be for us, and that is what we want,” he said in Birmingham. But Ferran lets himself be wanted and feels in control. Barça is in the middle of a battle for goals once the wingers have been reinforced.
