Journalist Gabriel Sans, while writing for Mundo Deportivo, has said that Barcelona had the chance to sign Argentina and Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez in January 2022, but decided not to explore the option as the team needed someone experienced to lead the lines.
Sans quotes that Barcelona had Alvarez’s name on the table, but the team’s delicate situation at the time forced them to look for alternatives.
Interestingly enough, this is exactly when they acquired Ferran Torres, who turned out to be the rose in the gloom at least for the rest of the season.
The main idea to sign Torres was to bring someone experienced as Barcelona were in transition. Xavi had just arrived and at the time, the team was tenth in the league so he needed signings who would not take time to settle in.
As a result, the team ended up signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Adama Traore, Dani Alves and Ferran Torres. All this because the main objective was to fight for the rest of the titles, including the Europa League. On top of everything, they also had to fight for the UEFA Champions League qualification.
In all, although Barcelona were aware of Alvarez’s situation, they were in no place to make any sort of gamble. This is why they decided to splash €55 million for Torres plus €15 million in bonuses.
In turn, City signed Alvarez as they did have the liberty to opt for experiments. Alvarez signed for City on January 31, 2022 on a five-and-a-half-year contract but remained at River Plate on loan until July.
It must be remembered that Alvarez is a Barcelona fan. A video of him has been circulating on the web where he admitted to being one when he was 11 years old. Interestingly enough, he chose the Catalan team over Real Madrid.