Barcelona president Joan Laporta has lifted the lid on the club's failed pursuit of Julian Alvarez, revealing the details of their summer negotiations for the Atletico Madrid striker and how the Spanish capital club dug in over the Argentine's future.
Speaking at a meeting of Barcelona delegates, Laporta confirmed the club tabled an official offer worth 100 million euros for Alvarez. Atletico Madrid refused to even discuss it.
Miguel Angel Gil Marin, the Atletico chief executive, told Laporta the club had no wish to sell Alvarez without a suitable replacement lined up. "I told him that if there were other reasons behind rejecting the deal, he should tell us about them, because the way they handled the matter was not appropriate," Laporta said.
He added: "In the end, they revealed their true colours by admitting they would sell the player to any club except Barcelona."
"I have an interpretation of what happened, but I will not talk about it publicly, because I do not have proof of it," Laporta explained. He stressed that the Alvarez saga is now firmly in the past, that Barcelona are content with their current squad, and praised the work of sporting director Deco.
Laporta also turned his fire on the sheer number of international breaks, arguing they disrupt Barcelona's rhythm and pile extra strain on his players. Hansi Flick, he said, had spoken to him about the damage caused, particularly given the fixture congestion and the glut of international competitions.
To make his point, the president pointed to Raphinha last season. The winger was in good shape before his injury, which came after a run of matches and long-distance travel. The technical staff had warned about the risk beforehand.