Barcelona sporting director Deco insists their interest in Julian Alvarez “is the past” after failing to sign the Atletico Madrid striker this summer.

Barca reportedly saw an offer of over €100m rejected by Atleti, who later revealed they would refuse to negotiate with their rivals due to the Blaugrana’s public pursuit of the Argentina international.

Real Madrid’s €150m bid was also rejected by Atleti, while reports suggested Alvarez turned down interest from Premier League side Arsenal.

Alvarez has featured four times for Diego Simeone’s side this term, with only one of those appearances coming as a starter, registering just one assist across all competitions.

The 26-year-old made his return from a brief injury in Atleti’s Madrid derby before joining up with the Argentina national team.

Barca managed to sign Gabriel Jesus late on in the window after the exits of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, and Deco revealed any immediate interest in Alvarez is now over.

“Julian Alvarez is the past,” Deco said at the Portugal Football Summit.

“Barcelona now have to look forward. It wasn’t possible in the end. We made an offer. [Atleti] said they would not transfer him and we had to look for other solutions.

“I hope things go well for him and that he can help his club.”

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Barca have also been linked with a move for 15-year-old Manchester United prospect JJ Gabriel in recent weeks.

Widespread reports emerged stating Gabriel had asked to leave United, with Barca and Madrid among the teams said to be monitoring the situation.

Deco, however, has put an end to the speculation, saying: “There’s nothing to say about this boy. 

“It’s normal that players are linked with us. It always happens. There’s a huge market for that with a lot of interests involved, even when [players] are young.

“But we are not interested in any player in his situation. I’m not sure what’s happening, and if he’s still a Manchester United player. We are not involved in that.

“First of all, we need to understand how the situation is before we try to do something. To speak about young, teenage players, it is not our business.”