Addressing the relentless links between his star striker and the Blaugrana, Cerezo was blunt about what it would take for a deal to happen. “Julian is an Atletico Madrid player. Whoever wants him can come and look at the contract (the release clause), and if they’re interested, they’ll sign him; if not, they won’t. It seems like this is the story of the summer; you all know exactly how things stand. Julian is an Atletico Madrid player, and I believe he will remain an Atletico Madrid player,” the president declared via The Uncheck.
By pointing directly to the €500m buyout clause, Cerezo is effectively shutting down any hope Barcelona had of negotiating a lower, structured fee. Even though Barca hope a €135m guaranteed sum plus bonuses would move the needle, Atletico are currently showing zero interest in coming to the table for anything less than the legally mandated release figure.
