Barça loses fight for Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez, Spain's summer
While the Spanish transfer summer was dominated by a single posse, the interests of FC Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan were scattered like a jagged puzzle. The Catalan club was keen to sign the Argentine world champion Julian Alvarez, but in the end neither Alvarez nor Lautaro Martinez stayed in Barcelona, while the relationship with the Spanish rivals was severely damaged.
Barça’s open interest in Julian Alvarez
David Davies reported that hardly any topic shaped the Spanish transfer summer as strongly as the posse around Julian Alvarez. FC Barcelona made no secret of its interest in the Argentine world champion and publicly pursued the transfer, while Atletico Madrid clearly stated that it was not thinking of letting its star striker go to a direct competitor.
Public spats and mutual accusations
The negotiations escalated into public spats on both sides, followed by mutual accusations and a transfer‑poker game that went far beyond the usual banter. In the end there was no real winner: Alvarez was scorned by his own fans in Madrid, Barça had to continue without the desired striker, and the relationship between the two clubs suffered considerable damage.
Barça also pursued Lautaro Martinez
As President Joan Laporta revealed in conversation with the Italian Corriere dello Sport himself, Barcelona also wanted to sign Lautaro Martinez from Inter Milan. “I wanted Lautaro at any cost,” said Laporta, who then became enthusiastic: “He is an incredible footballer. We did not want to miss the chance to get him under any circumstances.”
Raphinha returns to Barcelona early, Barça awaits recovery
Laporta himself picked up the phone and contacted Inter‑president Giuseppe Marotta, but received the clear answer that Martinez was not for sale. Inter made it clear that their captain should definitely be kept, after which Laporta, out of respect for Beppe Grillo, declared that Barcelona would not pursue the negotiations further.
Thus Barça received a rejection in the summer for two Argentine top strikers. In hindsight, however, the officials in Barcelona can probably live with that much better, as Raphinha, the current Barça captain, in his new position has already scored 14 goals and provided three assists after eight league matches.
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The failed striker transfers seem, given these numbers, so far to be more of a lucky break than a problem, while the relationship with Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan remains further strained.