In an exclusive interview with RAC1, as cited by SPORT, FC Barcelona sporting director Deco has spoken in detail about the club’s long-running attempt to sign Julian Alvarez during the summer transfer window.

The Atletico Madrid forward had been Barcelona’s main target for the summer after the exits of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres.

Even so, Atletico Madrid remained firm in their position that the Argentina striker was not available for transfer, despite Barcelona submitting an offer worth around €100 million.

Atletico’s stance did not change even after Alvarez publicly stated that he wanted to leave.

Instead, Atletico accused Barcelona of making an improper approach for the player, filing complaints with the RFEF and FIFA, while also alleging that the La Liga champions had been spreading misinformation through the media.

During the interview, Deco set out Barcelona’s version of events regarding the pursuit of Alvarez and explained how the matter unfolded over the summer.

“We have the information we have. We’ve done things properly. We made an offer and received no reply. There’s been more talk about it in the press. We spoke to them respectfully. They told us from the outset that they didn’t want to sell him,” he said.

Alvarez was Barcelona’s top target.

“You can’t keep bringing up the same issue all the time. It’s much more a matter of social pressure than reality. There’s no more to it than that.”

The Barcelona sporting director also stressed that the club never instructed Alvarez to make any public statement.

“Barça did not tell Julian to publicly express his desire to leave Atletico.”

Speaking further about Alvarez’s situation, Deco did not shut the door on a future move for the Argentina international, drawing a comparison with his own experience during his playing days at FC Porto.

“I can’t say much more than what the reality is. We made a formal and fair offer,” he said.

“I can speak from my own experience. When I was a player, the Porto chairman wouldn’t let me go to Barça. He told me to stay for one year and that the following year I could go wherever I wanted.

“I stayed, and my only option was to play well and wait for the next year. I had an offer from Chelsea, who were paying more, but I wanted to go to Barça,” Deco added.

Deco also insisted that he has no issue with Atletico Madrid director Mateu Alemany.

At the same time, there has been plenty of speculation around the payment structure in Barcelona’s offer for Alvarez, along with the supposed friction between Deco and his Atletico Madrid counterpart, Mateu Alemany.

Addressing those rumours, Deco said: “We made an offer to pay over three seasons. There are clubs that pay over five instalments. I’ve got no problem with Mateu Alemany; I haven’t done anything to him. I don’t know if he’s got a problem with me.”

Explaining how Barcelona approached their plans to strengthen the attack after the failed pursuit of Alvarez, Deco said:

“I don’t want to talk any more about Julián. We’re clear that our players are versatile. It’s practically impossible to replace Lewandowski. As for Ferran, we do have the solution within the squad, even if Gabriel hadn’t joined us.

“If Julián hadn’t joined us, we’d have had to look for a similar profile. That’s why we signed Gabriel. With Adeyemi, the opportunity came up earlier. As for Bardghji, we were planning to loan him out.”