Deco: We didn't ask Alvarez to publicly state he wanted to leave Atletico

Barcelona's sporting director Deco was interviewed by RAC1. 

One name was undoubtedly the story of the entire summer, and that was Alvarez. Do you feel any regret about what ultimately happened with Alvarez?

I think there are some things that the player himself cannot say everything about publicly. Some things... the information we have is the information we have.

I don't want to talk too much about this anymore, because it has already been discussed too much. We did what we were supposed to do.

We officially submitted an offer, but we received no response. Since then, much more has been discussed in the media than what actually happened.

What we actually did was very simple: we made an offer. We also explained several times that we communicated with them with great respect and a very clear attitude. And they told us from the beginning that they did not want to sell this player. That's how it is.

As Barcelona's sporting director, have you completely closed the door on Alvarez joining Barcelona? Or is it still possible for him to come next year? Do you think this story is completely over?

I think, first of all, different points in time mean different situations. You can't keep bringing up the same topic repeatedly. I don't like that, and I don't think it reflects reality.

I believe the media and public pressure, and many things said externally, are far more than what actually happened. The reality is very simple.

We made an offer to a club, and they told us they didn't want to sell the player. That's where it ends; there's no need to repeatedly discuss it.

I want to clarify one thing, because someone said this before. Did Barcelona ask Alvarez to publicly state during the World Cup that he wanted to leave Atletico Madrid?

No.

No. Okay, that's clear then. However, just before the transfer window closed, Atletico Madrid president Miguel Angel Gil Marin said something like this.

Gil Marin: "This makes us even angrier, because falsehood, lack of ethics, lack of transparency, and lack of professionalism disgust us."

Do you think he had a point in saying that? Or was he using those claims to justify Alvarez's eventual stay at Atletico Madrid against his will?

All I can say is what actually happened. We did try, because we officially submitted a proper, formal offer, but we received no response. Since then, I cannot say whether the player himself asked to leave or what agreements they had, because I don't know those things. I can only say what we ourselves did.

I still clearly remember when I was a player. I wanted to go to Barcelona, but the late Porto president Pinto da Costa did not let me leave that year. He told me: "Stay for another year, and next year you can go wherever you want."

I remember it very clearly. Like any player with their own goals in mind, all I could think about at the time was Barcelona.

Because that was the club I dreamed of playing for. So I stayed.

Since I stayed, the only thing I could do was play well, and then see if it could be achieved the next year. Of course, even then, things could change the next year.

But I was lucky. I remember Chelsea and several other clubs were also interested in me at the time, and some were willing to pay more money.