Atletico Madrid president fires back at Barcelona amid Julian Alvarez pursuit

Barcelona are still hoping to sign Julian Alvarez this summer, although Atletico Madrid are determined to hang on to their star player. Until now, any Catalan advances have been repelled, although that has not been a deterrent as of yet.

There has been much speculation surrounding Alvarez, with the latest being Barcelona are readying their final offer to send to Atleti. But when it comes to the continual talk, enough is enough for those at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.

Atleti president Enrique Cerezo summed up these feelings when he spoke to El Desmarque (via Sport) this week, as he put the Alvarez situation in black-and-white terms.

“Julian Alvarez is an Atletico Madrid player and whoever wants Julian Alvarez should come, see the contract and, if they are interested, they will take him; and if not, then they will not take him.

“It’s a summer thing. You know how the situation is. He is an Atletico Madrid player and I think he will be remain an Atletico Madrid player. Whoever wants to, let them come and see the contract. I repeat it again. We have a contract with him. Enough of the story of Julian Alvarez! The day he is not an Atletico Madrid player, you will know.”

Should Barcelona break the bank for Alvarez?

It is clear that Barcelona need a new number nine to replace the departing Robert Lewandowski, and the desire of Hansi Flick, Deco and Joan Laporta is for a star-studded player to arrive. Alvarez is the desired target at this stage, although they will be forced to move on if Alvarez do not relax their stance – which they are under no obligation to do.

If Barcelona are to sign Alvarez, it would likely take in the region of €150m to convince Atleti to sell. That is a huge amount for a player that doesn’t have too much experience of playing as a lone striker, which he would have to do at the Spotify Camp Nou, given that Flick operates in a 4-2-3-1 system.