Barcelona may have to pay €150m for Julian Alvarez as Atletico Madrid set terms for potential summer exit
· Yahoo Sports
Barcelona may have to fork out €150 million if they want to sign primary target Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid this summer, Mundo Deportivo reports.
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The La Liga champions are on the market for a long-term Robert Lewandowski replacement, and Alvarez is one of a few big names on their summer shortlist.
However, Barcelona have been told it will take an earth-shattering proposal to lure him away from the Metropolitano Stadium this summer.
After successfully retaining the La Liga title, Barcelona have turned their attention to the summer market in search of a player who can lead the line for the foreseeable future.
Alvarez checks that box for the Blaugranas, but stumping up the fee will be a huge problem considering Barcelona’s well-documented financial woes.
Interestingly, that hasn’t stopped them from plotting one of the biggest coups in recent times.
Atletico were previously uninterested in even entertaining conversations about a potential exit for Alvarez. But they’ve become more amenable in recent weeks.
Manager Diego Simeone has been pushing the club to do everything in their power to keep Alvarez, who produced 20 goals and nine assists in 49 games during the season.
“A very important player, the best we have,” Simeone said when asked about Alvarez months ago.
“Let’s hope he gives us more in what lies ahead because we need him. Julián is the best footballer we have. We need to take care of him, so he stays here at Atleti for many years.”
However, his tone has changed recently, especially after reports began circulating that the 26-year-old World Cup winner wants to leave the club in search of a new adventure.
“It’s not a question for me, it’s a question for Julian,” Simeone said when asked about Alvarez’s future again following the 5-1 defeat against Villarreal.
“He’s old enough to know what he’s going to do, and I imagine he’s already made his decision.”
It remains to be seen if Barcelona can pull off a transfer or if they’ll be forced to look elsewhere, especially with Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal now in the mix.
They have also been linked with Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane and Chelsea’s Joao Pedro.