Barcelona is putting pressure on Atletico Madrid when requesting the capital team of Spain to soon respond to the offer to recruit Julian Alvarez.
The Argentine striker is said to want to join Camp Nou in this summer transfer window after two successful seasons in Atletico colors. Meanwhile, Barcelona also needs to add a quality center forward after Robert Lewandowski's contract expires.
Alvarez is currently a target for both Barcelona and Arsenal. Although he is focusing with the Argentine national team at the 2026 World Cup, the future of the 26-year-old striker is still a topic of interest in the transfer market.
President Joan Laporta confirmed that Barcelona has sent an official offer and affirmed that the team will not wait indefinitely.
We made a very attractive offer, but that offer will not be valid forever. The board of directors and coaching staff both assess Alvarez as a great player, so we hope to receive an answer soon" - Laporta said.
Alvarez joined Atletico Madrid from Man City for a fee of about 81.5 million pounds. Therefore, coach Diego Simeone's team is said to only consider negotiating if they receive a significantly higher transfer fee.
Laporta also revealed that he had directly exchanged with CEO Miguel Angel Gil to clarify misunderstandings related to Barcelona's offer.
I have made it clear that Barcelona is not putting pressure. We only announce that the offer will remain valid until Atletico finds a replacement for Alvarez. Currently, things have not made further progress" - Laporta added.
In general, Barcelona is dominating this deal when they have successfully persuaded Alvarez, and at the same time reached an agreement on personal terms with the Argentine striker. Alvarez's public desire to leave Atletico Madrid is also considered a beneficial move for the Camp Nou team, creating pressure forcing Atletico's leadership to sit at the negotiating table.
This is not unfamiliar in the football world, especially with Barcelona - a team that has repeatedly been said to have a similar approach in major deals. Previously, they had done this with Cesc Fabregas, Philippe Coutinho, Antoine Griezmann and later Robert Lewandowski. Notably, in 2019, Atletico filed with the Competitiveness Committee of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), accusing Barcelona of "under-the-table dealings" with Griezmann.
On Atletico's side, the Madrid team naturally does not want to assist a direct competitor, just like the way they once flatly rejected the offer for Alvarez from Real Madrid. However, the plan to sell the Argentine striker to a club outside La Liga is also not simple.
Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain both have a certain interest in Alvarez, but will not actively promote the deal if the player's representative has not sent positive signals. Besides, the center forward position is also not a top priority in the transfer plan of both teams.
At the present time, Atletico still maintains a tough stance on Alvarez's future. However, Spanish media believes that the Madrid capital team will eventually have to concede, similar to the case of Griezmann before.
