Deco referred to the negotiation with Atlético de Madrid for the Argentine forward and denied that the club influenced his desire to leave
Regarding the proposal that Barcelona had presented for Álvarez, Deco detailed that it included a shorter payment scheme compared to other teams. "We made an offer to pay over three seasons. There are clubs that pay in five installments", he explained.
The novel of Julián Álvarez seems to be behind us after the transfer market closed, but voices from Barcelona are still emerging to explain what happened during the negotiations. This time it was Deco, the sporting director of the Catalan club, who addressed the attempt to incorporate the Argentine forward and sought to put an end to the discussion.
In an interview with RAC1, the Portuguese official defended Barça's actions and stated that the institution fulfilled its part during the conversations with Atlético de Madrid. "We did things right. We made an offer, there was no response. Then everything has been discussed in the press. They did not want to sell the player, that's it. The reality is this, there’s no need to go around in circles", he affirmed.
One of the most debated points in the story was the alleged desire of Álvarez to leave the Madrid club. On that aspect, Deco was emphatic and denied that Barcelona had any influence on the striker's statements. "Barça did not tell him to publicly express his desire to leave Atlético", he assured.
The sporting director also used a personal experience to explain his stance. He recalled that, when he was a footballer, Porto did not allow him to leave immediately for Barcelona and that he had to wait a year before achieving his goal. "The president of Porto did not let me go to Barça. He told me to stay for a year and then he would let me go. I stayed and my obsession was to play well. Luckily, in my case, I could go where I wanted", he recounted.
The search for a forward was related to the need to find a future solution given the presence of Robert Lewandowski. In that sense, Deco acknowledged the difficulty of replacing the Pole and highlighted the options currently available in the squad. "It is practically impossible to replace Lewandowski. Ferran is indeed the solution within the squad, even if Gabriel (Jesus) had not come. If Julián hadn’t come, we would have had to look for a similar profile. That’s why we signed Gabriel", he pointed out.
While those in Catalonia try to definitively close the chapter, Álvarez has not spoken publicly about the situation again. After expressing during the 2026 World Cup his intention to change clubs and fulfill a dream, the Argentine continued at Atlético de Madrid once the transfer market closed.
In parallel to his saga in the transfer market, La Araña began to regain prominence within the squad of Diego Simeone. This Wednesday he was a starter for the first time this season against Liverpool in the first match of the league phase of the Champions League. The former River player had a more than acceptable match, providing a assist to open the scoring and participating in several dangerous situations for the Colchonero, however, he could not prevent his team from losing 2-1 to the English, who had Alexis Mac Allister as the standout player, scoring the goal that turned the result around.
With the market now closed and without a completed exit, Álvarez's future is once again tied, at least for now, to Atlético. Barcelona, meanwhile, is trying to move on from a negotiation that occupied the center stage for weeks.
