Assembly bombshell! Laporta reveals inside story of Alvarez negotiations, blasts Atletico and hellish schedule

At Barcelona's 2026 Members' Assembly, Laporta discussed the Alvarez transfer: as is customary, he called Atletico president Gil Marin; Atletico refused to sell because they lacked a replacement and, unable to defend the decision effectively, felt offended and overreacted. Although there were reports that Atletico would sell all their players to anyone but Barcelona, and Atletico later admitted the call, he would not speculate on details without evidence. He is satisfied with the squad, and Flick backs Deco. He criticized the international break as unreasonable: Flick said there are four, disrupting rhythm and increasing the load; too many matches cause fatigue. Raphinha was in good form last year but was injured due to long-distance travel, and the technical team's warnings went unheeded. He will communicate with UEFA and FIFA to adjust the schedule.