Barcelona's sporting director Deco was interviewed by RAC1, discussing the team's season start, this summer's transfers, and answering questions about Rodri, Álvarez, Raphinha, and others. He also spoke about the Ballon d'Or, the development of young players, and the club's future squad planning. This article is the third part of the exclusive interview.

The situation with Rodri was the opposite, right?

First of all, regarding Rodri, a few months ago we weren't even considering it; it was never a realistic option.

Mainly because we didn't think he would leave Manchester City. It's not that we didn't want Rodri, but if you believe a player will never leave, then it's difficult to even consider the matter. We felt there was almost no possibility of him leaving because he still had a year left on his contract.

I also thought at the time that Manchester City was negotiating a contract extension with him, so we never really considered Rodri. Then a possibility emerged, and rumors started circulating that he might leave.

At that point, the first thing I did was contact Hugo Viana. He's Manchester City's sporting director, and we played together. I called him and asked directly if the rumors about Rodri's possible departure were true.

He told me they were working on Rodri's contract renewal and had already offered him an extension. But if Rodri himself decided to leave one day, considering his history at the club, everything he had done for the team, and what he had experienced over the years, it would be difficult for them not to let him go.

Players like Rodri and Bernardo have already made history there. So if Rodri ultimately made that decision, I think it would be hard for them to force him to stay. That was the information we had at the time.

From there, we evaluated whether this was a deal we could complete. Of course, it was a very difficult and complex deal. But the first thing was still to discuss this possibility with the head coach.

We asked him: "If this opportunity really arises, what should we do?" He then discussed it with his coaching staff and told us: "Go ahead." After that, we really started working on the deal.

And he also rejected Real Madrid. That's the most surprising part. If someone had told us before the summer that Bernardo Silva would go to Real Madrid, we probably wouldn't have believed it; if someone had told us that Rodri would end up choosing Barcelona, we wouldn't have believed that either.

You have to ask him.

OK, so we need to ask him directly. There's one name that was undoubtedly prominent throughout the entire summer, and that's Álvarez. Do you feel sorry for what Álvarez ended up going through?

I think... in the end, there are some things the player himself can't come out and say everything about. Some things, I think... the information we have is the information we have.

I don't want to say much more about this subject, because too much has already been said. We did what we had to do.

We made a formal offer, but we didn't receive a response. Since then, much more has been discussed in the media than what actually happened.

What we actually did was very simple: we made an offer. We also explained many times that we communicated with them with great respect and a very clear approach. And they told us from the start that they didn't want to sell this player. That's how it is.

While you're Barcelona's sporting director, have you completely ruled out the possibility of Álvarez joining Barcelona? Or is it still possible that he could play for Barcelona next year? Do you think this story is completely over?

I think, first of all, different moments present different situations. You can't keep bringing up the same topic repeatedly. I don't like that, and I don't think it reflects reality.

I believe the media and social pressure, as well as many things said externally, are much greater than what actually happened. The reality is, in fact, very simple.

We made an offer to a club, and they told us they didn't want to sell the player. That's where it ends; there's no need to keep discussing it.

I want to clarify something, because it's been said before. During the World Cup, did Barcelona ask Álvarez to publicly declare that he wanted to leave Atlético Madrid?

No.

No. OK, so that's clear. However, shortly before the transfer window closed, Miguel Ángel Gil Marín made the following statement.

Gil Marín: "This makes us even more irritated, because falsehood, lack of ethics, lack of transparency, and lack of professionalism disgust us."

Do you think he was right in saying those things? Or was he using lies to justify keeping Álvarez at Atlético Madrid against his will?

All I can say is what actually happened. We tried, because we made a proper and formal offer, but we didn't receive a response. Since then, I can't say whether the player himself asked to leave, or what agreements they had, because I don't know those things. I can only speak to what we ourselves did.

I remember clearly from when I was a player. I wanted to come to Barcelona, but the late Porto president, Pinto da Costa, didn't let me leave that year. He told me: "Stay one more year, and next year, wherever you want to go, I'll let you go."

I remember that very clearly. Like any player with his own goals in mind, all I thought about at the time was Barcelona.

Because it was the club I dreamed of playing for, and the place where I always dreamed of playing football. So I stayed.

Since I stayed, the only thing I could do was play, play well, and then see if it would happen the following year. Of course, even then, things could change the next year.

But I was lucky. I remember that Chelsea and several other clubs were also interested in me at the time, and some clubs were willing to pay more money.

Are you using your own experience to metaphorically describe what happened with Álvarez, but with the situation reversed?

No, no, no, no, I'm not talking about that. My point is simply that everyone has their own situation. We can only answer for what we ourselves did.

It's very simple. We tried to sign a player, it didn't work out, and that's fine. They didn't want to sell, and that's it.

It's like if someone came to us to talk about one of our players; the same situation could arise. But you can't say we did something wrong, because we didn't. That's the point, and it ends there.

Related reading:

Deco: I always believed the team would have a great start, but I didn't expect so many goals

Deco: B. Silva was never our priority target, but he said he wanted to come to Barcelona

Traduzido por IA.

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