Barcelona president Joan Laporta has accused Atletico Madrid of reacting inappropriately during the Julian Alvarez transfer saga. The Argentine forward requested a move away from the Spanish capital club in the summer transfer window. Barcelona and Arsenal were among the clubs interested in signing the 26-year-old forward. Atletico refused to negotiate with their La Liga rivals Barcelona, eventually forcing Alvarez to remain at the Metropolitano. Laporta revealed he spoke personally with Atletico chief executive Gil Marin during the negotiations. The Barcelona president claims Atletico would sell Alvarez to any club except Barcelona. Laporta stated the matter is now in the past and expressed satisfaction with Barcelona's current squad. He praised sporting director Deco for the extraordinary work done in the transfer market. Alvarez has featured only once in La Liga since the window closed. The forward has missed Atletico's last two matches through injury. Former Atletico captain Diego Godin criticised Alvarez's handling of the situation. Godin said the fans' anger is completely understandable. The former defender added that Alvarez will need to make good gestures to repair the relationship. Atletico Madrid face city rivals Real Madrid on Sunday afternoon at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Source: Mirror
