It’s no secret that Barcelona want to sign Julian Alvarez this summer, but he’s not the only Atletico Madrid player on their radar. Recently, it was confirmed that they hold an interest in Alexander Sorloth, whom they are much more likely to be able to afford.
Sorloth has been a scourge for Barcelona in recent years, given his record against them for Real Sociedad, Villarreal and Atleti. He’s netted on seven occasions across 15 matches played, on top of providing three assists, but there is a world where he starts providing for the Catalan side.
However, it is an unlikely one, given that ED have reported that Atleti are not enthused by the idea of selling Sorloth to a direct rival in Barcelona. In general, they like the idea of keeping the Norway international at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, given they already need to sign a new striker to replace the departing Antoine Griezmann.
It must be remembered that Sorloth was linked with Liverpool during the winter transfer window, at which point Atleti set an asking price of €35-40m. The likelihood is that a similar value would be needed for Barcelona to bring him to the Spotify Camp Nou, which they are unlikely to spend on a 30-year-old that would likely arrive as a backup option.
Sorloth option is not realistic for Barcelona
In this regard, it is unlikely that Barcelona look to sign Sorloth this summer. He would be an ideal backup to their main striker, but given that it is a top-class number nine they’re after, the likelihood is that those funds are used elsewhere.
Nevertheless, Sorloth is still a more realistic option that Alvarez at this stage. Atleti have absolutely no intention of entering into negotiations with Barcelona regarding the Argentina international, and they certainly would not be able to reduce the cost of a prospective deal by including unwanted players.
