Ronald Araujo fuels Julian Alvarez to Barcelona transfer talk as he reveals admiration for 'great' Atletico Madrid striker

Alvarez is facing an uncertain future amid continued speculation about a move away from Atletico. The striker has a contract until 2030 with Diego Simeone's side but has endured a tough campaign and has not scored in La Liga since the start of November. Premier League big-spenders Chelsea are said to have had discussions about Alvarez, while Arsenal have also been linked with the World Cup winner. Barcelona are also believed to be admirers and have reportedly shortlisted Alvarez as a potential replacement for Lewandowski, along with Juventus star Dusan Vlahovic. 

Araujo has been asked about Barcelona's striker search and Alvarez in particular. He told Mundo Deportivo: "He's a great player; for me, he's one of the best strikers in the world. You can see the quality he has." The defender was then asked if he thinks Alvarez would be a good fit for Barca and added: "The best players belong at the best club, which is us. That's obvious. But it's not my job to do that or make that decision."

Alvarez has previously spoken about speculation over a move to Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona and insisted he is not sure what the future holds. He told L'Equipe: "Do I plan on playing at Barcelona or at PSG? Honestly, I don’t know. I see what people say on social media. In Spain, people speak a lot about me and Barcelona. For now, I am focused on Atletico and we will review at the end of the season."

Barcelona sporting director Deco has opened up on his plans for the summer and the type of striker the club will target. He told Sport: "You don't have to obsess over any striker because the team is good. We have Ferran [Torres] and [Marcus] Rashford, let's see what we are capable of doing to make decisions. If we talk about the best striker, the best '9' of the last ten years, it has been Robert. There is no one like him. It is not easy to go to the market to look for one like Robert because teams are betting on other profiles, perhaps Bayern have a striker profile more reference. They are betting on a striker with more mobility. There is no one with Robert's quality and Robert's numbers. Barça have to look for players with a technical level, the ability to associate, to look for solutions."

Doubts remain over whether Barcelona will be able to spend big this summer due to the club's continued financial issues, but presidential candidate Victor Font claimed big-name signings are possible. He told Mundo Deportivo: "If things are done right, [Erling] Haaland or Julian Alvarez are possible."

Alvarez is due to come up against Barcelona next in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey. The two teams meet in the Spanish capital on Thursday night for the first leg of the tie. Araujo says he's looking forward to the game, adding: "We're doing well, we're in good form. We're training very well, we know it will be difficult against a great team like Atlético Madrid, but we're ready to reach the final.When we were watching the draw, we didn't have a preferred opponent. Whoever we got. We have a great team and we can face any challenge. We ended up with a very big team like Atlético and we know it will be difficult, but if we play our style of football, we are capable of reaching the final."

The winners of the tie will face either Real Sociedad or Athletic Club in the final in April.