Julián Alvarez has taken the first steps towards leaving Atlético Madrid for Barcelona after insisting publicly that a transfer is the “best thing for everyone” while at the World Cup. But the road from the capital to Catalonia could still be long and filled with many more obstacles.
Alvarez is on the transfer radar of several leading clubs this summer, including Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal. Real Madrid also had a surprise approach knocked back. But while the former Manchester City striker didn’t name Barcelona in his comments, the reigning La Liga champions are widely believed to be his move of choice as they pursue a replacement for Robert Lewandowski.
The Argentina striker might find himself in direct competition with another No. 9 at any of the other clubs—Ousmane Dembélé (PSG), Kai Havertz, Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal), Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid)—which was a factor behind leaving Manchester City in 2024.
Speaking openly after Argentina beat Austria at the World Cup, Alvarez gave a shockingly bold update: “The best thing for everyone is a transfer. I want to fulfil my dream.
“It’s not the time to talk about this, but I can’t hide either,” he added. “I try to be an honest person. I spoke with people at Atlético Madrid, and I think a transfer is best for everyone.”
‘Furious’ Atlético Madrid Respond
According to AS, Barcelona have been expecting Alvarez to go public in his desire for a transfer. It has apparently already been discussed behind the scenes, and while it didn’t come as a shock for the Catalan club, it is a “welcome” development that puts pressure on Atlético.
ESPN reports that Atlético are “furious” and “blame” Barcelona for Alvarez going public. They could even pursue legal action.
This whole thing is somewhat reminiscent of the Antoine Griezmann saga in 2019, when Los Rojiblancos contested Barça paying a €120 million release clause that became active on July 1. It was claimed they should have paid the much higher €200 million release clause that had been in place prior to that date, owing to Griezmann having already agreed to make the transfer before.
Barcelona ‘Confident’ Negotiations Will Begin
Until now, Atlético haven’t been willing to entertain the idea of selling. The only exception to that has been if an interested club triggers the €500 million ($569 million) release clause in his contract. Although release clauses in Spain are mandatory, the amount is deliberately prohibitive, more than double the current transfer world record—€222 million ($253 million) set in 2017 for Neymar.
But AS claims Barcelona are “confident that Atlético will eventually agree to open negotiations.” The Catalans will have more power in those negotiations because of Alvarez’s public position.
Fabrizio Romano explains that Alvarez has rebuffed interest from PSG and Arsenal, making it clear that Barcelona is what he wants. That ought to further strengthen Barça’s hand.
From Alvarez’s perspective, Romano adds that his relationship with Atlético manager Diego Simeone is “almost zero” because they simply don’t gel. There has been “no fighting” but it appears the player believes there cannot be a continuation.
The news seemingly sits very well with current Barcelona players, with Fermín López and Gavi notably ‘liking’ social media posts reporting the latest on the saga.
A Waiting Game for Julián Alvarez
This looks like it could be a waiting game that drags into the very last hours of the transfer window, which closes for Spanish teams on 10:59 p.m. (local time) on Thursday, Sept. 1.
In a sense, Alvarez making his public statement now gives Barcelona more time to strike a deal. Had he waited until the end of the World Cup, say, still almost a month from now, it eats into a major chunk of the transfer window. He will remain on national team duty for as long as Argentina is active at the tournament—potentially until the final weekend—but it means executives at Barcelona can already be pushing Atlético behind closed doors, with Alvarez’s comments as ammunition.
Atlético can do their best to drag it out and frustrate both Barcelona and Alvarez. But, once a player is determined to leave—and everyone knows it—keeping him is just as dangerous because of the possibility of disruption and the consequences for team harmony.
