Argentina forward on Barcelona’s radar but Atletico Madrid have consistently maintained he is not for sale
Lamine Yamal has said he would welcome Julian Alvarez to Barcelona if the Atletico Madrid forward completes a move to the Catalan club this summer.
Alvarez is one of Barcelona’s main transfer targets and confirmed last week that he wants to leave Atletico. The striker did not reveal where he hopes to play next, but reports have linked him with Barcelona, while Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal and Real Madrid have also shown interest. Real Madrid saw a reported €150m bid rejected earlier this month.
Atletico have consistently maintained that Alvarez is not for sale and have been spiky in responses to clubs who have made approaches.
But Yamal told Cadena SER that Barcelona’s dressing room would be happy to receive the Argentina international.
“I’m not thinking about it too much, but I’d love it, because he’s a great player,” the 18-year-old said. “If he comes, we’ll welcome him with open arms. If I were him, I’d do it. We’ll be waiting for him if he wants to come. Go for it.”
After Barcelona’s pursuit became known, it naturally caused tension with Atletico. The club’s chief executive Miguel Angel Marin recently accused Barcelona of showing disrespect in the way they have approached the transfer.
Yamal is currently with Spain at the World Cup, where he is playing in the tournament for the first time. After returning from injury before the competition, the winger was eased into the side by coach Luis de la Fuente during the group stage.
“I’m learning,” Yamal said. “International football is different from club football. I’m gaining experience and figuring out how to handle the return from injury. Now I feel great and I’m really looking forward to Thursday.”
Spain finished top of their group after drawing with Cape Verde before beating Saudi Arabia and Uruguay. They will face Austria in the round of 32 on Thursday.
Yamal admitted Spain have not yet reached their best level despite progressing comfortably.
“It’s true that everyone expected us to play better, but we faced different types of teams, none of them European,” he said. “I don’t think we’ve played a really great match yet. Once we hit our stride – and we definitely will – we’ll be almost unstoppable.”
