Deco Explains Barcelona’s Rejected Julián Álvarez Offer
FC Barcelona’s hunt for a long-term solution up front has generated months of speculation, but Deco has now drawn a firm line under one of the club’s most closely watched targets. The sporting director confirmed that the Blaugranes made an offer for Julián Álvarez, only to run into Atlético Madrid’s refusal to negotiate over their forward, forcing the Catalans to look elsewhere for attacking reinforcements.
The comments came during the Portugal Football Summit in Oeiras, on the outskirts of Lisbon, where Deco addressed the press on the situation. As MARCA has reported, in a piece by journalist Enrique Corbella, Deco was asked directly whether Barcelona might revisit the deal in a future window, and his answer left little room for ambiguity.
“Julián es pasado, nosotros tenemos que mirar hacia adelante.”
Deco went further in explaining why the move never got off the ground, confirming that Barcelona tabled a formal offer for the Argentine but that Atlético had always maintained they would not sell him under any circumstances. That left the sporting director with no room to negotiate, a stance that echoed the club’s position throughout Barcelona’s insistence on keeping their offer on the table despite the rejection. With no path forward, Deco said the club simply had to find other solutions.
Those other solutions took shape quickly once Álvarez became unattainable. Deco explained that Gabriel Jesus had not originally been part of the plans, but once the Álvarez move was ruled out, the Brazilian emerged as what he called the perfect fit, since the idea all along had been to sign a forward of a similar profile rather than any specific name.
Deco also revealed that Lautaro Martínez had featured among the strikers Barcelona considered during the same search, describing the Inter Milan captain as an icon of his club. Once Inter made clear their captain was not for sale, Deco said Barcelona neither pushed further nor opened talks, preferring instead to keep the process, as he put it, correct and clear. The sporting director added that he believes the club has recovered a broader appeal among players considering a move to Barcelona, tying the Álvarez saga into the club’s broader search for a new centre-forward.
For now, Deco’s message is unambiguous: the Álvarez file is closed, and Barcelona’s attacking planning has already moved past it. Whether that stance holds beyond the current season is not something the sporting director addressed, but his comments in Oeiras leave no doubt about where the club stands today.
