Real Madrid has been accused of "torpedoing" arch rival FC Barcelona's pursuit of Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez.
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Getty ImagesReal Madrid has been accused of “torpedoing” arch rival FC Barcelona's pursuit of Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez.
Madrid chief Florentino Perez made a promise to lauch a $175 million (€150 million) bid for an unnamed player if re-elected as president by members on Sunday.
After beating Enrique Riquelme at the polls, Perez kept his word by tabling an offer for Alvarez for said amount Tuesday evening.
Real Madrid confirmed this move via an official statement, while also revealing that Atleti knocked back the bid and pointed to Alvarez’s $577 million (€500 million) release clause.
Madrid are of course unlikely to trigger the clause or have that kind of money knocking around in any event. Yet Perez could’ve known exactly what he was doing here.
Perez has been accused of ‘torpedoing’ FC Barcelona’s pursuit
By outlets such as Catalan newspaper SPORT, Perez stands accused of attempting to not only use the Alvarez bid as a political weapon, but also scupper the Blaugana.
Madrid and Perez aren’t believed to have really wanted Alvarez or be serious about acquiring him.
Yet the bid shows that Perez has kept his word to members that voted for him, plus Los Blancos fans worldwide, amid announcements of Jose Mourinho incoming as new head team coach.
Furthermore, though, the offer puts Barça and Atleti in a tricky spot. Barça can’t afford Real Madrid’s fee for Alvarez in times of attempting to return to the 1:1 rule under Financial Fair Play (FFP) limits, and Atleti now can’t accept a lower sum such as the $116 million (€100 million) Joan Laporta and Co have reportedly tabled.
At the same time, though, there are possible consequences for Perez. With Kylian Mbappe and Endrick already on their books, Madrid don’t need Alvarez nor another striker.
The center of the park is an area where Los Blancos have fallen short over the past two trophylesss seasons where Barça have picked up five out of six domestic pieces of silverware on offer.
Perez has now shown that Madrid have the money to throw around, which could go on someone like Enzo Fernandez rated at $160 million (£120 million) by Chelsea, reports BBC Sport.
According to MARCA’s transfer expert Matteo Moretto, hope might not be totally lost for FC Barcelona with Alvarez. The Italian thinks it’s worth testing the waters with an offer around the $138 million (€120 million) mark, for a player that supposedly wants to leave the Metropolitano and has agreed to join Barça for five years.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com