Final deadline: Barcelona set zero hour to seal Julian Alvarez deal
The broken promise ignites the deal
This is no longer merely interest. It is a race against time. Barcelona have made their decision: Julian Alvarez now or never. The Blaugrana are preparing to set a final deadline on the most complicated deal of the summer, ending months of waiting and back-and-forth with Atletico Madrid.
Barcelona are working in silence, according to "Sport", ignoring every rumour that links them with other options up front. The sporting management have put alternatives on the table as a precaution, but the plan has not changed.
Alvarez is Barcelona's first and last target, the Spanish newspaper explained, with full backing from coach Hansi Flick and sporting director Deco. They know time is short and internal tension is mounting.
The end of next week will be decisive, close sources say. Barcelona will hold a final meeting with the Argentine striker's agents to assess the situation and take a decision: push ahead with full force or close the file and turn to the backup plan.
The rupture at the Metropolitano
Julian and Barcelona remain fully convinced the deal can be done, and that there are steps still to take. His absence from Atletico Madrid's friendly squad against Olympique Marseille was no message of rebellion, but a purely physical matter. None of the international players who returned to training on Monday featured, all of them short of full fitness.
The real test comes on 19 August, when Atletico host Malaga. That is when Diego Simeone will want all his key men back, and when Julian's position will become public.
Alvarez was clear and decisive in his direct conversation with Simeone last Wednesday: he does not want to continue in the Rojiblancos shirt.
The Argentine coach may choose to overlook that and name him in the squad. Even so, Alvarez stressed he does not currently have the mental strength to wear the Atletico shirt. He is clinging to the dream of his life: to play for Barcelona, and he knows this chance may never come again.
The broken promise and the turning point
In the days before the Malaga match, Julian will keep pressing the Atletico hierarchy, hoping he will finally sit down with chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin and be heard.
The player's account is blunt. Gil Marin personally promised he could leave this summer if a suitable offer arrived, then went back on his word. Julian and his agent are demanding explanations, insisting they began moving seriously towards Barcelona on the strength of that promise.
When will Barcelona give up on Alvarez?
Barcelona have shown the player full respect and support so far, according to Sport, driven by an absolute belief that he is the perfect piece to strengthen their attack.
Patience has its limits, though. The Catalan club do not want to enter the final week of the window without a striker, a period in which Atletico may find themselves free of any obligation and slam the door shut for good.
That is why the sporting management have gathered information on alternatives that could be settled quickly. No step will be taken without Flick's approval.
Exciting names are ready to move in the final moments, but that scenario has not been activated yet. The message from Barcelona is clear: absolute priority to Julian Alvarez, for just one more week.
