According to "Sport", Barcelona's pursuit of Álvarez will not be straightforward.

If Álvarez eventually joins Barcelona, negotiations could drag on. While Álvarez's firm desire to leave weakens Atlético Madrid's negotiating position, their stance toward Barcelona remains unchanged: they will do everything possible to prevent his transfer to Barcelona.

Since Álvarez expressed his wish to depart, Atlético Madrid has lost some of its negotiating leverage. When facing clubs like Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético Madrid is at an even greater disadvantage because the other parties have two favorable factors: first, the player himself wants to leave; second, Atlético Madrid would rather sell him abroad than strengthen direct rival Barcelona.

Atlético Madrid's dissatisfaction with Barcelona has a long history. It began with Barcelona's initial offer, which Atlético Madrid deemed insufficient. Barcelona offered a fixed transfer fee of €90 million plus variable add-ons of €10 million, which Atlético Madrid believes falls short of market reality.

Furthermore, Premier League transfer fees have been rising, and Barcelona itself paid approximately €80 million for Gordon. According to Atlético Madrid, Gordon's market value and influence are far inferior to Álvarez's.

Additionally, Barcelona intends to pay in installments, while Atlético Madrid demands payment upfront or nearly so. Atlético Madrid will not accept any offer below €150 million. This figure was previously tabled by Real Madrid, who even issued an official statement, but Atlético Madrid ultimately rejected that proposal.

Barcelona interprets Real Madrid's move as an attempt to artificially inflate the potential transfer cost for Álvarez. Barcelona believes Real Madrid never genuinely intended to pursue this striker, and their primary target lies elsewhere.

However, that offer did help Atlético Madrid establish a higher market benchmark for their key player, especially considering his current contract remains valid and his release clause stands at €500 million. Currently, Álvarez is still competing in the Copa América, making his first start in the match against Jordan. Compared to his impressive form at last year's Copa América in Brazil, the striker is still finding his rhythm. Lautaro now appears to be Scaloni's choice for the quarterfinals against Cape Verde.

Tradotto dall'IA.

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