FC Barcelona’s efforts to acquire Julian Alvarez have entered a critical phase after club president Joan Laporta announced that their offer for the Atletico Madrid striker has a time limit.
Deadline approaches for Barcelona’s offer for Julian Alvarez
Shortly after beginning his new presidential term, Laporta clarified Barcelona’s position.
“We have made an offer, but this offer is not unlimited in time.”
While in New York supporting the Spanish national team during the World Cup’s final stages, he specified the offer’s timeframe.
“The deadline for the offer is between the last week of July and the first week of August,” he stated.
Barcelona Reaches the Deadline They Set
As of today, July 28, the period outlined by Laporta has officially started, according to AS.
The deadline is primarily driven by sporting considerations, rather than a bargaining strategy with Atletico Madrid, which has made it clear they do not intend to sell the Argentine forward.
The Rojiblancos have made their stance unmistakably clear from the outset.
“I simply heard some statements from the president (Laporta) saying that his offer wasn’t open-ended. Our response is that our position is indeed open-ended; we don’t want to transfer him,” Atletico CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin said.
“We didn’t accept the €100 million offer, nor will we accept one of €150 million or €200 million,” he firmly declared.
Flick Seeks Clarity Soon
From a sporting perspective, Hansi Flick is keen to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
The Barcelona manager wants his new No. 9 available soon or, at the very least, certainty regarding the squad he will have for the upcoming season.
Flick wishes to avoid waiting until the last day of the transfer window to find out whether the club has secured its main attacking target.
For this reason, Barcelona has indicated they have an alternative plan ready should the acquisition of Alvarez ultimately fall through.
Only One Scenario Could Change the Situation
Sources close to the negotiations state that the only event that could change the current course would be a public declaration from Alvarez reiterating his desire to leave Atletico Madrid.
Until that moment, Barcelona’s deadline looms as uncertainty continues over one of the club’s most significant transfer targets.