Álvaro Cortés, who is determined to grow at Barça despite increased European interest; Flick in pre-season consideration
The interest of Spain and Europe clubs has increased on Alvaro Cortes, who shined from Barca Athletic. However, he decided to continue his football and personal development at Barcelona. While in the pre-season squad since July 13, a decision on his future under the supervision of Hansi Flick will be made later. The club is also considering a loan transfer if there is less opportunity in the middle.
Clubs in Spain's La Liga, Segunda Division and other European leagues have also opened inquiries for young defender Alvaro Cortes, who has been known for his impressive performances with Barca Athletic. However, his camp makes it clear—Cortés believes Barcelona is the right platform for his footballing as well as personal development; No plans to go out.
The club has already included Cortes in the pre-season squad starting July 13. Head coach Hansi Flick is expected to evaluate him thoroughly in summer camp. But the competition at centre-back is fierce — Pau Kubarczy, Erik Garcia, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, who recently extended his contract, and Gerard Martin, who played at centre-back for parts of last season, are already Flick's options. Barca have also not completely ruled out bringing in another defender before the end of the transfer window, meaning the battle for minutes is likely to get tougher.
The club lacked confidence in Cortes though. If his growth continues in the right direction, Barca believe he has the potential to become a key partner in the first-team project in the coming years. Cortés also understood that he had to persevere in view of the deep competition in his position. For now his focus is on impressing Flick in pre-season and cementing his role in the future of the club.
While the club are not considering a permanent transfer at this stage, they are keeping the option of a temporary seasonal transfer (loan) open if first-team opportunities are limited in the coming season. Even if this happens, the young defender's development is expected to continue steadily as he gets consistent game time at the senior level.