MADRID, July 2 — FC Barcelona President Joan Laporta said on Wednesday that his club has made an offer for Atletico Madrid’s Argentine international striker Julian Alvarez.
Laporta made the announcement after being sworn back in as president following his victory in the club’s March election. “Deco (Barcelona’s Director of Sport) made an offer for a certain amount of money,” Laporta said, adding that “we know the player has wanted to come for some time, since he was at Manchester City.” He added that although Atletico had “said in principle, they weren’t planning to sell him,” the offer for Alvarez is “firm and we’ll keep it on the table until we consider otherwise suitable.” The 26-year-old Alvarez recently surprised Atletico by telling the press during the World Cup that a move would be in the best interest of both parties, two years after his transfer from Manchester City.
Atletico reacted angrily to Alvarez’s comments and has threatened to report Barcelona to FIFA over what it considers an improper approach to a player who remains under contract until June 2030, with a release clause set at 500 million euros.
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