Barcelona are continuing their pursuit of Atletico de Madrid striker Julian Alvarez after sporting director Deco travelled to Madrid for a private meeting with the Argentina international’s representative, Fernando Hidalgo.
Deco was accompanied by his assistant Joao Amaral for discussions intended to clarify the next stage of a transfer operation which Barcelona recognise would be extremely difficult to complete.
Alvarez has remained one of Barcelona’s leading priorities for several weeks as the Catalan club look to strengthen their attacking options. The 2022 World Cup winner joined Atletico from Manchester City and quickly established himself as one of the most prominent forwards in La Liga.
His performances have made him a central target for Barcelona’s sporting department. However, Atletico’s position is understood to be firm. The Madrid club have no intention of giving up a player regarded as a key part of manager Diego Simeone’s sporting project.
That stance has not persuaded Barcelona to abandon their interest. Instead, the club are continuing to work behind the scenes and are seeking to remain prepared should the circumstances change.
According to the Catalan newspaper Sport, the meeting between Deco, Joao Amaral and Hidalgo was held in complete confidence. It represents another stage in a strategy developed by Barcelona’s hierarchy over several months, with Alvarez still considered a top priority.
The meeting should not be taken as evidence that an agreement is close or that a transfer has been arranged. The primary purpose of the discussions was to allow the different parties to establish the possible next steps and assess whether a deal could eventually be achieved.
Barcelona want a clearer understanding of Alvarez’s position and that of his representatives while also preparing for the range of possible outcomes created by Atletico’s refusal to consider easily losing one of their main players.
The Catalan club believe Alvarez’s possible desire to move to Camp Nou could work in their favour. They also accept, however, that the player’s personal preference alone would not be enough to persuade Atletico to open negotiations.
The meeting was also intended to strengthen strategic alignment between Barcelona and Alvarez’s representatives. Club officials want to maintain a close relationship with Hidalgo so they are ready to respond if the situation develops differently in the coming months.
Barcelona’s longer-term aim is to build a plan capable either of convincing Atletico to reconsider their position or of taking advantage of any change in circumstances.
President Joan Laporta and Deco are aware that substantial obstacles remain, including the complicated relationship between Barcelona and Atletico. Even so, they believe ending the pursuit completely would carry significant risks.
As long as an opportunity remains, Barcelona intend to proceed carefully with their efforts to sign Alvarez, despite the Madrid club’s resistance and the complexity of any potential agreement.
