Spanish La Liga giants Real Madrid have announced that their €150 million bid for Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez has been rejected.
Florentino Perez gave his word that Madrid would attempt to sign a €150 million player if he was re-elected as club president.
Perez was announced as the winner in the early hours of Monday morning, and in a statement released on the club’s website, they revealed that the attempt had been turned down by their city rivals.
“Real Madrid C. F. announces that, following the meeting of the Board of Directors held today, it has made an offer of 150 million euros to Club Atlético de Madrid for the federative rights of the player Julián Álvarez.
“After reviewing and evaluating the offer, Club Atlético de Madrid has expressed its gratitude for the proposal, made within the framework of the good relations between both clubs, and has rejected it, referring to the player’s release clause.”
Alvarez is also believed to be a top target for Barcelona, who are looking to add to their attacking ranks following the signing of Anthony Gordon.
Atletico have accused Barcelona of running a smear campaign amid reports of a potential bid for the Argentine.
Also Read: Simeone Confirms Arsenal’s Interest In Alvarez
The Athletic reported in May that Barcelona were preparing a formal offer of around €100million ($116m; £87m) for the forward, while Atletico were demanding a higher fee.
Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick and sporting director Deco are fans of Alvarez, while sources added at the time that the player is keen to join the league champions.
Alvarez scored 20 goals over 49 appearances for Diego Simeone’s side this season, with ten coming in the Champions League. In 2024-25, he registered 29 goals in 57 matches after joining the La Liga side from Manchester City for a fee of up to €95m that August.
The Argentina international’s arrival would be the second addition to Flick’s front line if their pursuit was to be successful, with Barcelona agreeing a €80million (£69.3m; $93.2m) agreement with Newcastle United to sign Anthony Gordon.
