According to reports from Every Sport, Barcelona's pursuit of Álvarez is proving difficult.

If Álvarez eventually joins Barcelona, negotiations could drag on for some time. The forward's strong desire to leave has put Atlético Madrid in a weaker negotiating position, but their stance toward Barcelona remains firm: they will do everything possible to prevent him from moving there.

Since Álvarez expressed his wish to leave, Atlético Madrid has lost significant leverage. When competing against clubs like Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético Madrid is in an even more disadvantaged position due to two factors working against them: first, the player himself wants to leave; second, Atlético Madrid would prefer to sell him abroad rather than strengthen their direct rival Barcelona.

Atlético Madrid's dissatisfaction with Barcelona's offer has deep roots. It began with Barcelona's initial bid, which Atlético Madrid deemed insufficient. The offer consisted of a fixed transfer fee of €90 million plus a €10 million add-on clause, which Atlético Madrid felt did not reflect market reality.

Transfer fees in the Premier League continue to rise. Barcelona themselves paid around €80 million for Gordon, yet Atlético Madrid believes Álvarez is significantly more valuable and influential than Gordon.

Additionally, Barcelona intends to pay in installments, while Atlético Madrid demands the funds upfront in a single payment. Atlético Madrid will not consider any offer below €150 million. This figure was previously tabled by Real Madrid, who even issued an official statement about their interest, but Atlético Madrid ultimately rejected that proposal.

Barcelona interpreted Real Madrid's move as an attempt to artificially inflate Álvarez's transfer price. They believe Real Madrid never genuinely intended to pursue the striker and that their priority target is someone else.

Nevertheless, Real Madrid's bid did help Atlético Madrid establish a higher market benchmark for their key player, particularly given that his contract remains active with a release clause of up to €500 million. Currently, Álvarez is competing in the Copa América, making his first start in the match against Jordan. Compared to his outstanding performances at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he has yet to reach that level so far. Lautaro now appears to be Scaloni's choice for the quarterfinals against Cape Verde.

Traducido por IA.

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