No more war: Laporta turns the page on the hostility with Atletico

The relationship between the boards of Atletico Madrid and Barcelona has moved beyond the tension that marked the past summer transfer window because of Julian Alvarez, with both sides now seeking to restore normal relations through friendly gestures ahead of the much anticipated clash between the two teams next Sunday at the "Riyadh Air Metropolitano" stadium.

According to the Spanish newspaper "As", Joan Laporta will head Barcelona's delegation on the trip to Madrid. The two clubs will also hold a lunch bringing together their boards, part of a wider effort to clear the air and show that relations have returned to normal.

Signs of a rapprochement first emerged when Laporta met Atletico chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin during the European Club Association meeting in the Danish capital Copenhagen.

The Barcelona president admitted the pair embraced during that meeting and managed to put behind them the differences left by a tense summer.

Speaking to "Mundo Deportivo", Laporta revealed further details about his meeting with Gil Marin, saying: "It was a friendly and excellent meeting. When we met, we saw that we had to continue the good relationship that exists between the two clubs, as well as our personal relationship. I value him a great deal, and he knows that, and I also feel his affection towards me. We met and embraced immediately, and I believe we have overcome the differences and restored the relationship to the way it should be. I am extremely happy about that, especially as he is someone I value a great deal".

Tension between the two clubs reached its peak in late August. Gil Marin went on "Movistar" during the Champions League draw and attacked the way Barcelona had handled his attempt to sign Julian Alvarez, saying: "This is what angers me most. We are disgusted by the falseness, the lack of ethics, and the absence of transparency and professionalism, and we can only confirm that we will not negotiate with Barcelona under any circumstances".

Rafa Yuste, Barcelona's vice-president, fired back from the same draw ceremony in the principality of Monaco, saying: "What surprises me is that, despite knowing him, he made such statements that lack courtesy and respect. All members of the club, the sporting director and the coach, crossed the red line in a way I simply do not understand. These statements anger me and I do not agree with them".

He added: "They crossed a red line. You cannot describe a club with which you have had a relationship spanning many years as disgusting, and we will not allow that. A person must show courtesy in his life. We exchanged some words with the Gil family and the club president Enrique Cerezo, and I told them what I said earlier: we are calm and our conscience is clear".

Gil Marin's comments answered an earlier stance from Laporta, who had defended Barcelona's conduct during the pursuit of the Argentine striker. The club acted correctly, he insisted, after submitting an offer that Atletico rejected, even though the player had wanted to leave ever since the World Cup in the United States, saying that "the best thing for everyone is to raise the idea of a transfer". Alvarez himself recently apologised for those words.

Laporta went even further in the midst of that crisis, having learned that Atletico had offered his player to Arsenal. "If they felt insulted, they know the reason," he said. "They overreacted and their behaviour was out of context. I do not know the reason, and I can guess it, but I cannot state it publicly because I have no proof. We were receiving information that they were putting him up for sale, but in the end they revealed their true position and said they would sell him to any club except Barcelona. We always dealt with them clearly. We spoke with Gil Marin and made an offer, and their response was that they had no replacement. We told them that if they had a replacement, we could talk about it. I do not understand the reason for the exaggerated reaction that followed".

The board-level feud may now be history, but the stands could still crackle on Sunday at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.

That Copenhagen embrace between Gil Marin and Laporta will get a sequel. A lunch will bring together officials from both clubs, with Yuste present alongside the Barcelona board members tasked with accompanying the delegation to Madrid.

Barcelona officials will also take their place in the Metropolitano's main box. That corner, at least, will stage the return of peace between the two clubs.