How Barcelona missed out on Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez for €22m

FC Barcelona missed out on signing Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez for €22 million before deciding to sign Manchester City’s Ferran Torres for €60m in 2021.

River Plates Technical Secretary Enzo Francescoli revealed to Barca Universal how he urged La Blaugrana to pursue Alvarez in a cut-price deal.

Barcelona decided against pursuing the deal. Instead, the club’s focus was on strengthening their attack through players from the Premier League.

A year later, the Premier League Champions snapped him up, leaving Barcelona to lick their lips for ruing such an opportunity.

The 25-year-old joined Diego Simeone’s side last summer, scoring 11 goals in 28 league appearances. Since leaving Manchester, Alvarez has scored 31 league goals in 95 appearances, while Ferran Torres has scored 18 goals in the same period.

Julian Alvarez for Argentina in the Copa America

La Albiceleste currently sits top of the CONMEBOL qualification table, and Alvarez is likely to start in Argentina’s World Cup Qualifier against Brazil on Tuesday night.