Barcelona are looking to back up the signing of Anthony Gordon with a renewed effort for Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez.
The Spanish champions can complete a deal for Gordon today for a £69.3m fee agreed with Newcastle and personal terms already negotiated with the England international.
Barcelona’s move for Gordon comes as a surprise given the size of the deal for a player unlikely to improve their best XI, but the pursuit of Alvarez makes perfect sense.
Hansi Flick needs a world-class player to bolster an already impressive squad that has dominated domestically but failed to win the Champions League for an 11th successive season.
The German has used Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres in this role over the past nine months, but the former will leave at the end of his contract while doubts remain about the latter’s ability to cut it at the highest level.
Julian Alvarez: The Atletico Madrid striker Barcelona wants before the World Cup
The same accusation cannot be leveled at Alvarez, who helped Argentina win the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
The Atletico Madrid striker has been Barcelona’s first choice for several months and a deal appears to be getting closer after the player’s agent met with Catalans sporting director Deco yesterday. According to Mundo Deportivo.
Barcelona want to complete the deal by the time the World Cup starts on June 11 to avoid a long-running TV series that could derail their other summer plans, and although Atletico are reluctant to sell, there is an acceptance at the Metropolitano that the 26-year-old will move on.
The player’s representative, Fernando Hidalgo, discussed the agreement with Deco, with Juanma Lopez appearing in the meeting, which he also believes is influential.
Lopez is a former Atletico Madrid player turned agent and maintains close ties with his old club. He has current Barcelona players Joan Garcia and Dani Olmo on his books and believes his role is as a mediator between the two La Liga giants.
Alvarez joined Atletico from Manchester City for a fee of £82m in August 2024 and has impressed during his two years in the Spanish capital.
He scored 29 goals in his first season at the club and backed that up with another 20 for Diego Simeone’s side. He finished fourth in the Spanish League It reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, beating Barcelona on its way to the quarter-finals.
