News Focus
- Barcelona confirm they emailed a €100m offer for Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid on Friday.
- Atletico publicly denied receiving any bid and mocked Barcelona on social media.
- The Madrid club insist Alvarez is not for sale and cite his €500m release clause.
- Barcelona wish to avoid a public war of words but stand by their claim.
- The Catalan side view Alvarez as their main target but will not exceed their budget.
The Catalan giants have rejected claims made by Atletico Madrid regarding the transfer of Julian Alvarez. Atletico used social media to mock Barcelona’s approach and denied receiving any formal offer for the Argentine forward.
However, sources at Camp Nou have told Mundo Deportivo that a €100 million bid was indeed dispatched on Friday. They state the proposal was sent via email to Mateu Alemany, the Sporting Director at Atletico.
Atletico’s online outburst stated that Alvarez remains unavailable for transfer. They pointed to his €500 million buyout clause as proof of their intent to keep the striker. This public stance suggests the Madrid club are confident the player will not move to Catalonia.
Officials at Barcelona were angered by the social media posts. Despite this, they prefer to handle negotiations in a professional manner rather than engage in a public spat. They fear further retaliation from their La Liga rivals if tensions continue to rise.
Alvarez sits at the top of Barcelona’s wish list for a new centre-forward. The club have set a strict spending limit for the deal though. If Atletico refuse to negotiate below this ceiling, the Blaugrana will turn their attention to alternative targets.