In an official video released by Barcelona, club president Laporta spoke about Alvarez transfer negotiations and what happened last Sunday at Elche.

Laporta's Full Statement:

First, I want to emphasize that we have great respect for Atletico Madrid. We also have a deep personal friendship with their management, as we have known each other for many years.

I want to clarify how this entire situation unfolded. Barcelona submitted a formal bid to Atletico Madrid. Then, I personally confirmed this offer in a private phone call with Miguel Ángel Gil, Atletico Madrid's CEO.

He told me at that time that they had no intention of selling because they had no replacement for Alvarez.

I replied to him, "Look, we are very interested in this player, and we fully respect your decision not to sell. But if you find a replacement during the summer transfer window, we remain interested in acquiring him."

After that, Deco and I discussed it, and since they weren't selling, we decided to set the matter aside for now, because in principle they had no replacement, so we couldn't recruit him.

But what happened next? We received information that Atletico Madrid was negotiating with another club to sell the player.

After learning this, we believed our proposal and offer still stood, since it was already known that the player was very keen to join Barcelona.

This situation caused quite a commotion, but it was not caused by Barcelona's actions at all. Rather, it was because they had previously told us they wouldn't sell, but now it appears—at least according to the information we received—that they're trying to reach a deal with another club.

So, through people we trust, we contacted Enrique Cerezo, Atletico Madrid's president.

Enrique Cerezo then made some statements. To Enrique, whom I greatly respect, and with absolute respect, I want to say that Barcelona has always conducted itself with great dignity in this matter.

We treated Atletico Madrid the same way we treat any other club. For example, when we dealt with Manchester City previously, we also asked other clubs if they were willing to sell a particular player, and if they answered that they wouldn't sell, we dropped the matter.

However, the situation in this case is special because we received information that Atletico Madrid intended to sell the player to another club.

For this reason, we at Barcelona are still following this process, and our offer remains on the table until the end of the transfer window, should Atletico Madrid eventually decide to sell the player.

In fact, we are very interested in this player and hope our offer will be accepted. We convey this with absolute respect for Atletico Madrid. If they are willing to sell during this summer window, they should know that we are prepared to buy this player at the price we previously offered.

Next, on Thursday night against Athletic Bilbao, there will be a tribute event at the stadium featuring the Estelada flag.

As everyone knows, the Estelada represents the views of many Barcelona fans and Catalan citizens.

Indeed, Spain is defined as a social and democratic state governed by the rule of law, and freedom of expression is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Spanish Constitution.

In this case, hanging or displaying the Estelada falls entirely within the scope of freedom of expression.

The Estelada expresses the desire for freedom and the will to pursue freedom by many Barcelona fans and Catalan citizens.

Therefore, I believe this should be respected, because this will is part of freedom of expression. Moreover, it is a peaceful way of expressing oneself, not inciting violence or hatred.

In my view, the Estelada should be respected because it represents our desire for freedom. Just as all other symbols expressing certain views should also be respected, as long as they are displayed peacefully, without violence, and without inciting hatred.

Barcelona strongly opposes and condemns the excessive force used by the National Police, which previously attacked Barcelona members carrying the Estelada before the match against Elche.

In response, what we have done is fully support and assist these members, these young people and their families, in helping them resolve any issues they faced in this incident.

Therefore, Barcelona demands and firmly believes that this excessive force and violence perpetrated by certain National Police officers, once the facts are established—that is, once the video footage at the scene clearly and fully explains everything—should be punished and sanctioned accordingly.

Our objective is very clear: we hope and wish that, through appropriate punishment for those responsible, and through the tribute event with the Estelada at Spotify Camp Nou this Thursday, this matter can be resolved once and for all, allowing Barcelona fans and Catalan citizens to freely carry the Estelada without fear for their personal safety.

We also hope this will once and for all end the demonization and stigmatization of the Catalan Estelada by national security forces and public order authorities.

Regarding the World Cup tribute ceremony: our board of directors, the committee that I respectfully chair, has decided that the tribute event will not be held.

We had planned a tribute event for Barcelona players who won the World Cup, which was proposed to us by the Spanish Football Federation.

However, given the current context, circumstances, and the inopportune timing, we decided not to hold the event. We informed the Spanish Football Federation of this decision, and they fully understand it.

The event will not be held because we believe that football should play a unifying role and should not be used to create division and conflict, which would benefit no one at this time.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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