Laporta remains keen on signing Atletico Madrid forward despite poor performance vs Barcelona

Julian Alvarez was the one player in focus when Barcelona locked horns with Atletico Madrid last week.

Many expected the Argentine to make the difference up against a leaky Barcelona defence, just as he did when Atletico Madrid faced Real Madrid earlier in the season.

However, Alvarez’s performance against Barça was less than ideal as he barely made any impact in the final third, with the Catalans ending up securing a comfortable 3-1 victory.

Laporta still remains interested

According to SPORT, Alvarez’s timid performance against Barcelona did not really impress president Joan Laporta.

However, that hasn’t deterred Laporta, who still remains interested in the services of Alvarez and harbours the hope of signing him in the near future.

This is quite significant considering recent reports had suggested that Barcelona have cooled their interest in the Argentine international.

Julian Alvarez wasn’t able to make an impact vs Barcelona. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Although Deco has kept Lewandowski’s situation open for now, it is likely that the Pole will pack his bags next summer, leaving Barcelona without a proper number nine.

Alvarez, to that end, fits the bill perfectly as he has shown exemplary performance at Atletico Madrid.

The Barcelona board is willing to ignore his relatively timid display vs Barcelona, taking into account that Atleti operate under a very different tactical scheme under Diego Simeone.

His team is not as efficient in the attacking third as Barcelona, so the club feel Alvarez may flourish a lot more under the leadership of Hansi Flick, as well as the support from Raphinha and Lamine Yamal.

For now, though, signing Alvarez remains a distant dream for Barcelona unless the Catalans can somehow bring in sizable revenue that helps them meet Atleti’s lofty price tag for the Argentine international.