23 Jun 2026 08:46 BST |
4 min read
Atletico Madrid have reacted strongly to Julian Alvarez’s public plea to leave the club by declaring there is ‘no amount of money’ that could convince them to sell their star man to Barcelona.
Alvarez stunned Atletico on Monday night by admitting he had asked the club to ‘fulfil his dream’ by granting him a transfer this summer, amid a desire to move to rivals Barcelona.
Barca have publicly admitted their admiration for Alvarez in recent months and they are understood to be willing to go all out to sign the 26-year-old this summer, much to the fury of Atletico.
Atletico had previously ridiculed Barcelona’s pursuit on social media and they responded to the situation with a statement by insisting that the only way they could sign Alvarez is to pay his €500 million release clause.
“We’ve seen how Barcelona operates in the past,” Atletico told AS in a statement. “There is no amount Barcelona can pay for Julián, and he will not be transferred to Barcelona. Either they pay the €500 million release clause or nothing.”
Atletico will now file a formal complaint to FIFA about Barcelona’s conduct, adding: “Everyone knows they’re a dishonest club. But they’ve run into a club that won’t let them get away with it.”
Arsenal given Alvarez opportunity as Atletico refuse to entertain Barcelona talks
Although previous reports had revealed Alvarez’s desire to move, the Argentina international had not publicly pushed for a move and had insisted he would be respectful of Atletico’s stance.
However, speculation surrounding Alvarez’s future has only intensified in recent weeks, particularly after Real Madrid saw a €150m offer instantly rejected by Atletico earlier this month.
While Real Madrid’s offer was largely believed to be a political move on behalf of president Florentino Perez following his re-election, it strengthened Atletico’s negotiating power, having previously turned down offers closer to €100m from Barca.
With Alvarez having four years remaining on his contract, Atletico are under no pressure to sell and, having already endured a similar situation in 2019 for Antione Griezmann, there is no appetite to negotiate with Barcelona despite the player’s wishes.
A report from Spanish outlet COPE has revealed that Atletico would prefer to take advantage of interest from Arsenal and sell Alvarez to the Premier League side in exchange for Viktor Gyokeres and ’40, 50 or 60 million euros.’
However, FootballTransfers understands that Arsenal have not held discussions over such a deal and are happy to keep Gyokeres, while Alvarez is not thought to be keen on a return to the Premier League after his stint with Manchester City, suggesting that this transfer saga will drag on through the summer.
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