Barcelona and Atletico Madrid talks over Julian Alvarez transfer to continue, says Romano

Negotiations between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid over a possible move for striker Julian Alvarez will continue in the coming days, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Barcelona are considering signing a new forward and are waiting to see how discussions over Alvarez develop before deciding on their next move.

Romano said the Catalan club would make an effort to sign the Argentina international, but suggested the outcome would depend more on Atletico Madrid than Barcelona.

“They will try to sign him, that is certain. Whether they can close the deal or not depends more on Atletico Madrid than Barcelona, but negotiations between the two clubs will continue,” Romano said.

He added that Barcelona remained intent on bringing in a striker during the current summer transfer window.

“Yes, I think they will eventually sign a striker. At the moment they are waiting to see what happens with Julian Alvarez, but the intention is to bring in a forward,” he said.

Romano was speaking while attending the semi-finals of the Kings World Cup in Milan, a competition created by former Barcelona defender Gerard Pique. His comments were reported by Spanish newspaper Sport.

The Italian journalist also discussed several other transfer topics during the event, including the deal that had surprised him most this summer. He identified Marc Cucurella’s move to Real Madrid as the most unexpected transfer.

Asked which signing he considered the best of the summer so far, Romano selected Morgan Rogers’ move to Chelsea. He explained: “Because he is a top-level player and arrived at a perfect team for him.”

Romano also reflected on the biggest exclusive story of his career. He chose Thomas Tuchel’s appointment at Bayern Munich, saying: “Thomas Tuchel arriving at Bayern Munich, because nobody expected it. Also, Marc Cucurella’s move to Real Madrid this summer was unbelievable.”

The journalist was then asked which player he would sign if he were the president of a club. He first questioned whether the answer should relate to professional football or the Kings League.

“In football or in the Kings League?” Romano said. “In the Kings League I would really like to sign Gerard Pique. I have always been a big admirer of Gerard and I would like to have him in my defence.”

For professional football, Romano opted for Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal.

“Lamine Yamal, he is a unique player,” he said.

Romano, who is known for providing updates on transfer negotiations, was also asked how many WhatsApp messages he receives each day.

“I don’t know, a huge number. I have between 80 and 90 chats open, so there is always something going on,” he said.