Atletico Madrid remain firm on Barcelona target’s future; uninterested in La Masia midfielder

Atletico don’t want to sell Alvarez, not keen on signing Casado. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

His release clause stands at €500 million, an amount out of reach for any club. As such, Atletico are not concerned by any comments suggesting openness to a move, convinced the player will not push for an exit.

No interest in Casado swap deal

Any move for Alvarez would easily cost no less than €100 million – a figure very much out of reach for Barcelona currently.

To reduce the cost of a deal, there had been talk of including Marc Casado in the operation. After all, the La Masia graduate had been on Atletico Madrid’s radar in January.

However, as per the report, the Barcelona academy midfielder is not part of Atletico’s plans, neither in the short nor medium term.

As such, the possibility of a player-plus-cash deal involving Casado is also shut down by the Rojiblancos.

Ferran Torres was another name mentioned as a possible bargaining chip, but neither Barça see it as viable, nor Atletico consider him a target for next season.