Barcelona transfer news: Catalan giants handed further blow in pursuit of new number nine

By Matt Law | 22 Aug 2026 18:56, Last updated: 22 Aug 2026 18:59

Barcelona person received a further stroke successful their tendency to motion a caller centre-forward earlier this summer's transportation model closes for business.

The La Liga champions allowed Robert Lewandowski to permission connected a escaped transportation earlier this summer, portion Ferran Torres has been sold to Paris Saint-Germain.

Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez remains Barcelona's imagination people successful the last 3rd of the field, but the Red and Whites proceed to importune that the Argentina planetary is not for sale.

Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez has besides been linked with a determination to Camp Nou, but the Italian club's CEO Giuseppe Marotta has ruled retired a departure for Alvarez's planetary teammate.

“Lautaro is our captain, our history. There are not adjacent the conditions to merchantability Lautaro Martinez. You should not adjacent talk astir Lautaro’s exit this summer," said Marotta.

Inter regularisation retired departure for Barcelona-linked Martinez

Martinez, 29, has scored 175 goals and registered 56 assists successful 377 appearances for Inter.

The guardant is proven astatine the highest level, featuring connected 66 occasions successful the Champions League, scoring 25 goals and registering 7 assists.

Martinez has 132 goals and 44 assists successful 268 appearances successful Italy's apical flight, meanwhile, and helium has a declaration astatine San Siro until the summertime of 2029.

As a result, it is incredibly hard to ideate the striker leaving this summer.

Will Alvarez beryllium leaving Atletico this summer?

Alvarez said earlier this summertime that helium wanted to permission Atletico.

However, the superior giants person continued to importune that the attacker volition not leave, and the club's main executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin provided an update connected the concern astatine the extremity of past week.

"Atletico Madrid, similar each large club, is built connected large players, and Julian is 1 of them, arsenic good arsenic being a large professional," Gil Marin told EFE.

"We person to vie with our values, with homegrown players and the champion players we tin bring successful from outside.

"We are going to assistance Julian and proceed to look aft him, truthful helium tin scope his afloat potential... We indispensable recognize that Julian hasn't had the champion advisors astir him successful caller months."

Alvarez could beryllium progressive erstwhile Atletico proceed their La Liga run against Villarreal connected Sunday afternoon.