Barcelona president Joan Laporta has warned that the club’s “substantial offer” for Julian Alvarez will not remain on the table indefinitely as the Spanish champions continue their pursuit of the Atletico Madrid striker.
The Argentina international has informed Atletico of his desire to leave this summer and is attracting interest from several of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain.
However, Laporta made it clear that Barcelona will not wait forever for a decision.
“We’ve made an offer that isn’t unlimited, and in due course we’ll announce how long the offer remains on the table,” Laporta said after arriving in Dallas ahead of Spain’s World Cup semi-final against France.
“The offer was made with the intention of signing a player who appeals to both the sports management and the coach.
“I think he’s a great player; we’re maintaining the substantial offer, but the validity of this offer is not unlimited.”
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Barcelona refuse to enter bidding war
Alvarez joined Atletico from Manchester City in the summer of 2024 in a deal worth an initial 75 million euros and remains under contract until 2030.
The 26-year-old recently confirmed he had spoken to Atletico officials about his wish to move on, while the Madrid club rejected a reported 150 million euro bid from Real Madrid last month.
Atletico are also understood to be reluctant to sell one of their star players to domestic rivals Barcelona.
Laporta insisted Barcelona will not be dragged into a transfer battle for the forward.
“As for Julian’s signing, we’re obviously not going to dance to anyone else’s tune – we’ll set the pace,” he said.
“I spoke with Miguel Angel Gil; as always, we spoke very clearly and openly, and I understand that we have a very good relationship with them.
“There was some confusion at first regarding the offer we made; I clarified that with him.
“As I understand it, we haven’t applied any further pressure – I simply told him that as long as they have an alternative to Julian, this offer remains on the table, and that’s where it stands; it hasn’t progressed any further for the time being.”
Adeyemi close as Raphinha stays put
While uncertainty remains over Alvarez’s future, Laporta confirmed Barcelona are close to completing a move for Borussia Dortmund forward Karim Adeyemi.
The Germany international is expected to become Barca’s second signing of the summer following the arrival of Anthony Gordon from Newcastle.
“We’re really excited about Adeyemi,” Laporta said.
“We’ve liked him for a while now. He’s dangerous and fast, and Deco handled the signing very well.”
Laporta also moved to end speculation surrounding Raphinha after reports linked the Brazil international with a move to Saudi Arabia.
“Raphinha is definitely staying,” he said.
“With Gordon and Adeyemi, I see that we’re strengthening our attack, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to let Raphinha go – he’s key for us.
“It’s a shame that last season he wasn’t able to perform at his best during the final stretch of the league, Champions League, and Copa del Rey. The results would have been different.”
Laporta praises Messi’s World Cup heroics
Laporta was also asked about reports linking Paris Saint-Germain with Spain forward Ferran Torres, but played down the speculation.
“I’ve heard something like that, but we are not aware of this,” he said.
“He’s a Barca player, one of the 14 players we’ve had here at the World Cup.”
The Barcelona president also reserved special praise for former club icon Lionel Messi, who has inspired Argentina’s run to the World Cup semi-finals with eight goals and two assists in six matches.
“Messi’s World Cup performance has been extraordinary,” Laporta said.
“Eight goals, some of them truly spectacular, and his talent always shines through.
“Argentina plays for Messi; they’re a tight-knit team, and they’re lucky to have Leo, who always gets them going.”
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