Barcelona will look to back up the signing of Anthony Gordon by making a renewed push for Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez.
The Spanish champions could complete a move for Gordon today with a fee of £69.3million agreed with Newcastle and personal terms already negotiated with the England international.
Barca’s move for Gordon comes as a surprise given the size of the deal for a player who is unlikely to improve their best XI, but the pursuit of Alvarez makes complete sense.
Hansi Flick needs a world-class number nine to enhance an already impressive squad that dominated domestically but failed to win the Champions League for an 11th successive season.
The German has utilised Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres in the role over the past nine months but the former is leaving at the end of his contract while doubts remain over the latter’s ability to cut it at the highest level.
Julian Alvarez: the Atletico Madrid striker Barcelona want before the World Cup
The same accusation cannot be levelled at Alvarez, who helped Argentina win the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
The Atletico Madrid striker has been Barca’s first choice for several months and a deal appears to be edging closer after the player’s agent met with the Catalans’ sporting director Deco yesterday, according to Mundo Deportivo.
Barca want the deal closed by the time the World Cup starts on June 11 to avoid a lengthy soap opera that could derail their other summer plans and, even though 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 a deal with Deco with the appearance of Juanma Lopez in the meeting also believed to be influential.
Lopez is a former Atletico Madrid player-turned-agent and retains close ties with his old club. He has current Barca players Joan Garcia and Dani Olmo on his books and his role is believed to be one of mediator between the two La Liga giants.
Alvarez joined Atletico from Manchester City for a fee in the region of £82million in August 2024 and has impressed in 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 as Diego Simeone’s side finished fourth in La Liga and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, beating Barca en route to the last four.
