Deco: Barcelona have moved on from failed Julian Alvarez pursuit

Barcelona sporting director Deco says the club have ended their pursuit of Julian Alvarez after Atletico Madrid refused to sell the Argentina forward, with Raphinha’s emergence as a centre forward helping shape their alternative plans.

Barcelona had identified Alvarez as a potential long-term successor to Robert Lewandowski and wanted a striker capable of moving across the attack. However, Atletico made it clear the player was not available, prompting the Catalan club to consider other options.

“It wasn’t possible, we made an offer, we’ve already talked about this too much,” Deco said at the Portugal Football Summit.

“The club always said they wouldn’t sell him and we had to look for other solutions.”

Barcelona subsequently signed Gabriel Jesus, while Raphinha has developed into an increasingly effective number nine under Hansi Flick.

Deco said the Brazil international’s progress in the role had gone beyond what the club expected.

“We’re happy because we’ve discovered a new role for Raphinha, but the most important thing is that he’s happy too,” he said.

“When you’re a winger, you have the ball most of the time, so this position is different. He has to be ready to attack the space behind the defenders.”

Raphinha had primarily played as a winger or attacking midfielder, but his versatility across the forward line has made him a key part of Flick’s plans.

“We expected him to do well, but not at this level,” Deco said. “His quality is different, it’s huge. That’s why I think he can play there.”

“He can do it as a right winger, left winger, centre forward, and also as a number 10. He’s a player who gives everything for the team. He’s a complete player.”

Gabriel Jesus and Lautaro Martinez considered

Deco said Gabriel Jesus was not initially Barcelona’s first solution because the club had been unsure about his availability.

“With Gabriel, a lot of people didn’t understand, but it wasn’t that Gabriel wasn’t in our plans, it’s that we didn’t know his situation,” he said.

“When we decided that Julian was impossible, we started looking for solutions, and Gabriel was perfect for us, given that Raphinha was already becoming a number nine.”

He insisted Alvarez was now no longer under consideration.

“The idea hasn’t changed, the idea was to look for a player of this same profile, but Julian is in the past, we have to move on,” Deco said.

Barcelona also asked about Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez, but ended their interest after being told the Argentina international was unavailable.

“Lautaro is an idol at Inter. We have a lot of respect for him. He’s a fantastic player, a spectacular player,” Deco said.

“He’s an icon, a legend at Inter, the captain. And out of respect for the player, respect for the club, the moment the club told us he wasn’t available, we didn’t pursue it any further.”

Deco believes Barcelona’s recent improvement has made the club more attractive to potential signings.

“I think we’ve rekindled the desire of players who want to come to Barcelona,” he said. “Every player who’s seen Barcelona play would like to join the club.”

He said Rodri was allowed to leave Manchester City after winning everything there, while Gabriel Jesus could benefit from a fresh challenge after limited opportunities at Arsenal.

Barcelona’s next La Liga match is against Getafe on Saturday, October 10 at Spotify Camp Nou.