Barcelona Pursues Rodri and Julian Alvarez as Transfer Deadline Approaches
Barcelona are not blinking. With the transfer window ticking into its final stretch, the club remain locked on to two names and two names only: Rodri and Julian Alvarez.
Inside the offices at Camp Nou, according to Mundo Deportivo, there is no debate and no Plan B. Just over a fortnight from the window closing, the message is the same – the final weeks will be spent trying to land both players, not searching for alternatives.
Rodri deal pushed towards the finish line
Of the two operations, Rodri’s is the one Barça see as closest to the line.
The Spanish midfielder is back with Manchester City after his summer break, yet in Barcelona there is a firm belief that his mind is already leaning towards Hansi Flick’s project. That conviction is driving the club’s confidence that the transfer can be completed.
The problem is the price.
City are holding out for a package of around €80 million. Barcelona know their second offer falls short and will have to be improved, but they are not prepared to simply meet the full figure. Instead, they are working on a structure that leans heavily on bonuses and add-ons, pushing the total closer to €70m rather than matching City’s demand outright.
City have already rejected previous approaches and are waiting for that upgraded proposal. The stance from Manchester is clear; the future of the player is less so. That uncertainty is exactly where Barcelona see their opening.
Inside the Catalan club, the expectation – as reported by Mundo Deportivo – is that the Rodri saga does not drag on. They want it wrapped up by next week. One way or another.
Alvarez trapped by Atletico – for now
If Rodri is the deal Barça believe they can close quickly, Julian Alvarez is the one that could go to the wire.
Atletico Madrid have dug in. Their position on the Argentine forward is hard and unyielding, making this negotiation far more complex than the talks with City. Every move from Barcelona meets resistance.
Yet the optimism in Catalonia refuses to fade. The reason is simple: Alvarez himself.
The 26-year-old has not dropped his desire to wear the Barcelona shirt. He is expected to keep pushing for an exit in the coming days, still searching for a way out of Atletico and into Flick’s squad. His attempt to bring Diego Simeone into the process, hoping the coach might ease his path to the door, has not produced the outcome he wanted. Atletico’s stance has not softened.
But his determination has not shifted either.
For Barcelona, that is now the crux of the operation. They are betting on the player’s will. If Alvarez continues to press from the inside, the club believe it could eventually force movement from Atletico, even if for the moment the Madrid side show no sign of backing down.
Two targets. Two complicated negotiations. One club convinced they can still bend the market to their will before the window slams shut.
