🚨 FULL INTERVIEW BY JOAN LAPORTA REGARDING JULIÁN ÁLVAREZ:
"First of all, we have absolute respect for Atlético Madrid and their officials. We also have a great deal of personal respect for them, because we have known each other for many years.
"I would like to explain how everything happened, because at Barcelona we made an offer to Atlético Madrid, from club to club. I personally confirmed that offer during a private phone conversation I had with Miguel Ángel Gil Marín.
"He told me that they had no intention of selling the player because they did not have a replacement for him going forward.
"I told him that we were interested in the player and that, of course, we respected their position of not wanting to sell him. But if they found a replacement during the current summer transfer window, we would be interested in signing him.
"So, after Atlético Madrid confirmed that they would not sell him, we said: “Okay, we’ll leave it for later,” because, in principle, they did not have a replacement and therefore we could not sign the player.
"What happened afterwards? We received information at the club that Atlético Madrid were negotiating with other clubs over the sale of the player.
"Naturally, after receiving that information, we said that we still stand by our proposal and our offer, because everyone knows that the player wants to come to Barcelona.
"So this situation created a lot of noise, but it was not caused by Barcelona’s actions. They told us that they would not sell the player, while it appears, at least according to the information reaching us, that they are trying to reach agreements with other clubs.
"After that, through people we trust, we contacted Enrique Cerezo. Enrique Cerezo later made some public comments.
"With all due respect to Enrique Cerezo, I believe Barcelona acted appropriately and did exactly what we normally do with other clubs. The same thing happened with Manchester City, and there have been other clubs we contacted to ask whether they were willing to sell one of their players. When they told us, “No, we are not selling,” we left it there.
"But in this case, there are special circumstances because we are receiving information that Atlético Madrid want to sell the player to other clubs. That is why Barcelona are still there, and the offer we made remains valid until the end of the transfer window, in case Atlético Madrid decide to sell the player.
"The truth is that we are very interested in the player. We would like our offer to be accepted, and we are handling the situation with complete respect for Atlético Madrid.
"We want them to know that if they are willing to sell the player during the current summer transfer window, we are ready to sign him based on the offer we have already made to them."
❗️Hansi Flick: "Lamine had a headache after Elche. Right now, he can't be at his best, which is normal. I'm very grateful because he played 60 minutes and was involved in the first two goals, he helped us a lot and he's doing well” #FCB 🇪🇸
🚨👀 Hansi Flick: “I think we're fine with the players we have in defense - there are options. Eric can play in several positions, Jules and Gerard too. Andreas and Gerard did very well and we have Cubarsí, who for me is one of the best defenders in the world” 🔵🔴
“Last year, Cubarsi played a lot and I want to take care of him because this year he will also play many games. He has been chosen the Best Young Player of the World Cup and he is incredible. I'm very happy that he plays with us” #FCB 🌟
✅💙❤️ Hansi Flick, on Balde: "He's part of the squad for tomorrow. Whether he plays or not, I'll decide that later. I've spoken with him, and the important thing is that he's fully committed to us. He's 22 years old and very young; he has potential” ⚡️
“His first season here was fantastic, but he can improve even more. He comes from La Masia and has the Barça colors in his heart, but he has to be here and improve. Every year, three or four players from La Masia come up who also want to play. They have to be fully committed to professional football” #Transfers ⭐️
🎙️ Xavi on being called the third choice:
🗣️: “I don’t care if I am the third choice or the 10th choice. I am honored to be the manager of the Netherlands.”
On the long run , I realized Ferran Torres made the best decision of his career by going to PSG, this ungrateful entitlement fanbase don’t deserve good thing
He left and they cried for weeks , we will see what you will do when Lamine makes the move to PSG
Ungrateful souls , he’s the reason Barca players are now relevant globally
❗️Frenkie De Jong today tried doing some running exercises on grass for a few minutes, but ultimately ended up informing the medical team that he still feels pain, so his return is still far away. @monfortcarlos#FCB ⚠️🚨