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Barcelona's top priorities this summer are to sign a center forward and a left-footed center-back, with their most desired players being Julian Alvarez and Alessandro Bastoni. Securing both won't be easy, as they possess exceptional competitive standards and media exposure at their respective clubs. However, journalists report that the positive aspect is both are enthusiastic about joining Barcelona.
Julian Alvarez:
As for Alvarez, despite having a contract with Atletico Madrid until 2030, he has already opened the door to leaving the club next summer. First, in an interview with L'Equipe last November, when asked about Barcelona, he stated he was currently focused on Atletico but would "see what happens at the end of the season." Then, in March this year, when questioned again about Barcelona's interest, he said he was happy at Atletico but added: “Maybe I'll stay, maybe not, no one can say for sure.”
In fact, Alvarez has attracted interest from multiple teams, but more importantly, he has received three highly attractive transfer offers. These three clubs are Barcelona, Arsenal, and Paris Saint-Germain, with the most appealing offer coming from Barcelona.
Arsenal is extremely attractive to Alvarez, but after leaving Manchester City, he has no intention of returning to the Premier League. Paris Saint-Germain is highly appealing both on and off the pitch, with Luis Enrique's coaching and the prospect of living in Paris also tempting him. However, besides the fierce competition for forward positions, the limited international influence of Ligue 1 is also a deterrent.
In contrast, Alvarez is Barcelona's best candidate to replace Robert Lewandowski, whose contract expires this summer. Even if Lewandowski stays, he is well aware his role would only be as Alvarez's luxury substitute.
Barcelona is confident reaching an agreement with Alvarez won't be a problem, but they have set a €100 million ceiling for his transfer fee, and everything depends on whether Atletico is willing to sell him at this price. Barcelona knows that Atletico's major shareholder Apollo Global Management hopes to make large investments for growth, in which case selling the team's top star wouldn't be wise. However, it also remains to be seen what measures Alvarez himself will take to pressure Diego Simeone and the club's management to facilitate his departure.
Regarding timing, today isn't suitable as Atletico has reached the Champions League semi-finals, since now isn't the best time to discuss the transfer market and players expected to win the Champions League. However, it's intriguing to see what impact Atletico's Copa del Rey final defeat to Real Sociedad will have on the club and Alvarez. He scored a brilliant goal in the final stages of the match, and another shot narrowly missed the crossbar, but ultimately missed a penalty in the shootout, regrettably missing out on the championship.
Alessandro Bastoni:
Bastoni's transfer seems more likely to happen. With Inter Milan eliminated from the Champions League early and the league title within reach—they lead AC Milan and Napoli by 12 points with five rounds remaining—official negotiations between the two clubs can now begin. In fact, preliminary agreement has already been reached between the Italian player and Barcelona, but they are still waiting for Hansi Flick's final approval. Flick was originally scheduled to meet with Deco to discuss next season's squad planning. Due to the Champions League, this meeting was postponed and will remain on hold until Barcelona secures the league title.Bastoni himself has stated he will do everything possible to wear the Barcelona jersey. Bastoni also hopes to help Inter win the Serie A title before considering his future. If Barcelona decides to sign him and an agreement is reached, he will sit down with Inter to negotiate the transfer and try to lower their asking price. It is reported Inter has priced him at approximately €70-80 million.
Bastoni believes now is a good time to leave Italy after winning three Serie A titles. Additionally, he experienced a difficult moment when he was sent off with a red card in the national team's play-off match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, an incident that caused Italy to miss the World Cup again.
Nevertheless, he has made it clear he won't leave the club he has loved all his life unless it's to join Barcelona. He loves Barcelona and Flick's coaching plans—he has never missed a single match—and he also adores the city. For this reason, despite interest from other Premier League teams—Liverpool has been chasing him relentlessly this season—he is only considering two options: if he can't join Barcelona, he will stay at Inter Milan.
