28 May 2026 16:32 BST |
5 min read
Barcelona are on the verge of making a staggering €100 million bid for Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez, with transfer insider Fabrizio Romano revealing all the details of the Blaugrana’s ambitious transfer plans.
The Catalans are ready to break the market this summer, it seems. Barcelona are on the verge of tying up a whopping €80 million deal for Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon after a “lightning” operation over the past 48 hours.
The England international has touched down in Spain for his medical and, if everything goes to plan, he could be officially unveiled as a new Barcelona player before the week is out. This alone is enough to raise eyebrows.
Making an €80m bid for a left-winger after spending months haggling over a €30m fee for Marcus Rashford has left onlookers baffled. What Barcelona are about to do is even more incredible.
The supposedly cash-strapped club are also ready to offer Atletico Madrid €100m for Alvarez. That’s a combined €180m outlay on two players, and that figure is subject to further change: one, there is no guarantee that Atleti will accept that fee and two, Barca want to make even more signings.
How can Barcelona afford all this?
Barcelona have spent the last few years mostly pinching pennies due to LaLiga’s stringent financial regulations. However, they are set to return to the much-talked-about 1:1 rule for the first time in a long time this summer.
It effectively means that Barcelona will be able to make signings without restrictions as long as they have the money to fund deals. Previously, the Catalans were only able to spend a fraction of their income, with the percentage most recently standing at just 60%.
Barcelona have reportedly earned €55m for winning LaLiga. Reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League – and qualifying for next year’s edition – also brought the club handsome revenues.
The opening up of the refurbished Camp Nou will also boost the club’s income. Already towards the end of the season just gone, attendance figures began to exceed the capacity of Montjuic, Barca’s previous temporary home.
Finally, Barcelona are reportedly banking on some lucrative sales. It is not clear yet who exactly will be sold, but the Blaugrana are hoping to offset some of their spending with one or two major departures. Robert Lewandowski’s contract expiration will also free up significant funds.
Romano on Alvarez bid
Regarding the bid for Alvarez, transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has now provided a major update. According to the Italian, the deal is “on,” with the stars seemingly set to align for Barcelona to land their dream target.
Alvarez has made it clear to Atleti that he no longer wants to play for the club and that his unequivocal desire is to join Barcelona. He has rebuffed overtures pertaining to a potential contract extension and is now pushing for the move to Catalunya.
Romano acknowledges that a deal will not be easy to pull off because the relationship between Barcelona and Atleti is “not the best,” according to the transfer expert. That’s why the negotiations will primarily be handled by intermediaries.
Barcelona’s bid will be cash only. Contrary to some reports, Barcelona will not include any players in the deal. It will be a fee of around €100 million, though the final structure of the financial package has not yet been decided.
“Barcelona are preparing, internally, the first official proposal, the first official bid for Julian Alvarez,” Romano explained. “Barcelona are not sending the bid today [Thursday]. Barcelona have not sent the bid.
“Barcelona are [still] discussing internally – [Joan] Laporta, Deco, [Hansi] Flick, everyone at the club – how they want to move, how they want to act. For sure, the bid will be sent before the start of the World Cup. It’s a matter of days, it could be any moment [after completing the Gordon deal].”
Personal terms with Alvarez are not expected to be an issue. Discussions on the matter have already been ongoing for “some time,” according to Romano. A full agreement on terms could be reached shortly, with Alvarez’s agent, Fernando Hidalgo, in Spain for face-to-face talks with Barcelona.
Once a deal for Gordon is wrapped up and the bid for Alvarez is submitted, Barcelona will begin working on other transfer operations. They are still planning to sign a centre-back after a deal for Inter star Alessandro Bastoni collapsed.
There is also still the issue of Marcus Rashford. Discussions over the Man Utd loanee will continue, with Barcelona not entirely ruling out keeping the Englishman even after signing Gordon if a suitable deal can be agreed with the Red Devils.
Related stories:
Build The FIFA World Cup 2026™: LEGO© releases stunning football-inspired collection
Barcelona rush to complete €100m deal after Gordon signing
Transfer Rumours: Cole Palmer leads Chelsea exodus as €80m agreement reached
The FootballTransfers app
Check out FootballTransfers’ new app for all of football’s big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.
The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:
•Google Play
•App Store
View full bio
