Barcelona sporting director Deco meets Julian Alvarez's agent, pushes for transfer talks with Atletico Madrid

Published Aug 5, 11:19 PM UTC

Catalan journalist Gerard Romero reports that Barcelona sporting director Deco met with Julian Alvarez's agent, Fernando Hidalgo, in Madrid on Wednesday. Barcelona considers Alvarez a key forward target and hopes the player's camp will hold face-to-face talks with Atletico Madrid management next week to push for his departure. Atletico Madrid has previously filed a complaint regarding Barcelona's contact with Alvarez, and all parties are handling the matter cautiously to avoid complicating the deal. Alvarez's camp is expected to communicate directly with Atletico as early as next Monday, after Atletico returns from South Korea. Barcelona will closely monitor the outcome.