According to the Spanish newspaper Marca, Barcelona has not given up on signing Atletico Madrid striker Álvarez and hopes to continue pushing for the transfer with the Argentine's agent. Barcelona's sporting director, Deco, plans to work with Álvarez's agent to finalize the deal.
Atletico Madrid have so far refused to negotiate or sit down for discussions. They quickly rejected Barcelona's €100 million offer and also rejected their city rivals Real Madrid's €150 million offer for the Argentine. Atletico Madrid insists on the €500 million release clause in Alvarez's contract, but neither Barcelona nor Real Madrid can accept such a valuation.
This stalemate may need to be broken by Álvarez himself, who hopes to join his dream club, Barcelona. He publicly stated during the World Cup: "I've spoken with some people at Atlético Madrid. I think the best solution for all parties is for me to leave. I want to realize my dream," Álvarez said in an interview with ESPN.
After participating in the World Cup in the USA-Mexico region with Argentina and spending a long break, Alvarez is expected to return to Madrid on August 10. Whether he will return to Simeone's Atletico Madrid or continue his pressure on Deco to resign due to the strike agreement reached between him and his agent remains to be seen. According to this report, the next week will determine the direction of the stalemate in Alvarez's transfer negotiations.
Barcelona cannot wait indefinitely for this Argentine striker.
With Lewandowski leaving and Ferran Torres also considering a transfer, Barcelona urgently needs to strengthen its attack, especially lacking a number 9 player.
