The Argentinian remains Hansi Flick’s preferred candidate to strengthen the attack. Following the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, Barcelona need a new number nine, and Álvarez has long occupied the leading position on their shortlist.

There is, however, one considerable obstacle. Atlético Madrid continue to insist that the striker is not for sale. President Enrique Cerezo and chief executive Miguel Ángel Gil Marín have both publicly rejected the possibility of a departure.

Barcelona can set a deadline for themselves, but they cannot set one for Atlético to change their mind.

Álvarez’s absence from the squad for the league match against Málaga inevitably attracted further attention. In the middle of a transfer story, it would be easy to present that decision as a significant signal, but Diego Simeone offered a sporting explanation.

The Atlético coach said that Álvarez had returned late following the World Cup, had trained with the team for only around a week and had not played in any pre-season friendly. There is therefore no reliable basis for describing his omission as a protest or an attempt to force a transfer.

Mundo Deportivo nevertheless reports that the player would like to join Barcelona. The next few days should reveal whether the Catalan club can make an offer capable of opening genuine negotiations. At present, there is no accepted bid, no agreement between the clubs and no indication that Atlético have authorised a sale.

Barcelona begin their league campaign away to Elche on Sunday, while the transfer window remains open until 1 September. The club do not intend to wait until deadline day. If Atlético’s position remains unchanged over the next two or three days, Barça are expected to activate an alternative plan.

There is interest, an internal deadline and a striker personally favoured by Flick. Only one minor detail is missing: the consent of the club that actually owns him.

In Barcelona, the word “no” apparently still sounds like an invitation to hold one more meeting. The clock is now ticking — although, for the moment, it is ticking inside Barcelona’s offices rather than Atlético Madrid’s.

Sources: Mundo Deportivo, Cadena SER

Mundo Deportivo reports that the official explanation is his late return to pre-season and lack of preparation. Saudi sources cited by Goal go further, claiming Simone Inzaghi does not currently see Cancelo as part of his competitive plans and believes he is not physically ready to play.

Meanwhile, Barcelona continue to wait. SER Catalunya reported today that the deal is close and only bureaucratic issues remain. Cancelo has therefore managed to find himself in a rather special situation: back at a club that does not really want to use him, while waiting for another club that wants him but has not quite finished the paperwork.

Barcelona, Cancelo and bureaucracy. At this point it is less of a transfer story and more of a recurring series.

Cadena SER reports that the next proposal could be structured as €60m guaranteed plus another €10m in add-ons. City are not expected to lock Rodri inside the Etihad if he wants to leave, but they still want a fee much closer to their valuation. The door is open, then — Barcelona are just discovering that the entrance fee is rather higher than expected.

There is already plenty of optimism in Catalonia. Barça reportedly believe Rodri could arrive in Barcelona as early as Monday, although the midfielder is still due back in Manchester on Friday to resume training with City. A perfectly normal return to work, apart from the small possibility that he could be employed in another country three days later.

Barcelona started much lower, have now been rejected twice and are already moving towards €70m. Manchester City’s negotiation strategy appears beautifully simple: keep saying no until Barça discovers the real price.

It is a notable positional change. Tunkara has mainly operated as an attacking midfielder or on the right for Juvenil A, but Flick is now testing whether his qualities can translate into a central attacking role. The German had already praised him during Barcelona’s training camp in England. 

The timing is not accidental. Robert Lewandowski has left, Ferran Torres could still move to PSG and Barça are looking for a striker. Flick recently admitted that spending the season without a natural No. 9 is not his preferred solution. While the club searches the market, though, he is also checking whether part of the answer has been training at La Masia all along. 

Jack Gaughan of the Daily Mail reports that Barcelona’s opening offer was rejected and laughed off. Ben Jacobs of talkSPORT says City want around €75 million, while David Ornstein of The Athletic puts the asking price closer to €80 million. Fabrizio Romano has confirmed the rejection of the €45m-plus-€5m package and says Barça will return with an improved proposal. The sources mainly disagree on exactly how far short Barcelona are.

Barça’s strongest argument remains Rodri himself. The 30-year-old has reportedly agreed personal terms, informed City of his wish to leave and previously rejected Real Madrid. Barcelona have therefore convinced the player and embarrassed their biggest rivals. Now they must convince the club that actually owns him.

There is no panic in Barcelona, only complete optimism. They have an excellent relationship with City, Rodri’s approval and direct talks between the clubs. All they are missing is roughly €30 million. In other words, everything is going according to plan — apart from the transfer fee.

There will be no strike or late arrival. Álvarez is expected to report for training on 10 August before trying to convince Miguel Ángel Gil Marín and Mateu Alemany to consider negotiations. It will be a remarkably polite rebellion: the player keeps training, Atlético refuse to budge and “Sport” checks the temperature of the operation every few hours.

Should Atlético finally open the door, Barcelona are reportedly prepared to slightly improve their current offer of around €100 million. There is still no agreement and the Madrid club remain firm, but the flame has not gone out yet. At Barça, one fresh report is enough for the supporters to picture Julián wearing Blaugrana colours again.

Los Rojiblancos believe Galatasaray would actually demand more for a player whose contract runs until 2029. They are also keeping Alexander Sørloth and Julián Álvarez, whom Miguel Ángel Gil Marín has no intention of selling. Barcelona’s plan therefore requires Atlético to buy a striker they currently do not want and then sell the player they are determined to keep. In Catalonia, this apparently counts as an “encouraging development”.

Osimhen was also reportedly offered to Barcelona, Arsenal and Tottenham. Spurs proposed €55 million, even though Galatasaray paid €75 million for the Nigerian only a year ago. Barça could have considered signing him too, but decided to focus on Álvarez. An available solution simply cannot compete with the excitement of spending several months negotiating with a club that refuses to negotiate.

Adrián Sánchez of Más Que Pelotas reports that Barcelona still consider the Álvarez deal extremely difficult. They could increase their offer if Atlético agreed to hold talks, but there is currently no sign of that happening. Atlético like Ferran Torres, Ferran is only considering PSG, and Álvarez remains at the Metropolitano. Barça are therefore preparing their final push. At least until the next final push.

Barcelona want Álvarez to make the next move by publicly declaring that he wants to join the club. If he does, Barça could reportedly raise their offer to €115 million. Classic Catalan negotiations: first the player has to start the rebellion, then the club may finally open its wallet.

It remains unclear whether Barça’s advice will include switching off his phone, closing the curtains and barricading himself inside his house until Atlético approve the transfer. At this point, the only thing missing is a statement saying: “I’m not coming out until they accept €115 million.” Barcelona are no longer looking for a striker. They are looking for a willing hostage.

Athletic bought Laporte from Al-Nassr for just €10 million last year. They now want eight times that amount, offering Barcelona the kind of highly creative deal they usually enjoy — except this time, it would benefit the other club.

The world champion still has two years left on his contract, so Athletic have no reason to lower their asking price. Barça have not submitted an actual offer yet. They have, however, created another transfer story that can run for several weeks before everyone remembers they cannot afford it.

According to Romano, there is currently no progress in the deal. Bournemouth have reportedly made it clear to interested clubs that they have no intention of selling the 20-year-old French forward this summer. Similar information was previously shared by Ben Jacobs — the Premier League side do not plan to part ways with one of their most promising young talents.

The biggest disappointment might not even be for the fans, but for the Catalan headlines. Usually, situations like this need a few days to produce stories about a player’s “dream”, the “sporting project” and why Barcelona remains the preferred destination despite interest from elsewhere. This time, there was not even enough time to build the classic narrative — the transfer disappeared before the first wave of optimism could properly begin.

Kroupi will remain at Bournemouth, while Barcelona once again has to search the market for opportunities that fit its financial reality. The French youngster, who made his Ligue 1 debut at just 18 years old before moving to the Premier League, will continue his development at Vitality Stadium. Meanwhile, Camp Nou will have to wait for the next transfer story — hopefully one that lasts longer than 24 hours.