Barcelona club president Joan Laporta confirmed that the club's management will not wait indefinitely to conclude the signing deal with Argentine Julian Alvarez, Atletico Madrid striker, stressing that the Catalan club is the one setting the pace of negotiations.
According to the Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, Laporta said, after arriving in the United States to attend the Spain-France match in the World Cup semi-final, that Barcelona has already submitted an official offer to sign Alvarez, but it will not remain open without a time limit.
He added: "We will not yield to anyone's dictates, as we are the ones setting the pace here. We have made an offer, but it is not open forever, and we will see how long it remains valid. We have sought to sign the player requested by the coach and technical staff, because we see him as a wonderful player".
Barcelona's president clarified that the relationship with Atletico Madrid officials is good, confirming that what was raised about the club exerting pressure to complete the deal is incorrect.
He said: "There was a misunderstanding regarding the offer we submitted, and I have clarified the matter. We did not exert any additional pressure, and all I said is that our offer will remain valid as long as they have not found the suitable alternative, and at that point matters stopped, and nothing new has happened so far".
The newspaper added that Barcelona is considering submitting a new offer after the end of the World Cup competitions, but at the same time it is ready to disregard the deal and turn to other options if negotiations with Atletico Madrid stumble.
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