Barcelona club president Joan Laporta on August 26 reaffirmed the club's strong interest in signing Atlético Madrid forward Julián Álvarez and said Barcelona’s offer remains open until the transfer window closes on September 1, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. Laporta said, "We are very interested in buying Julian Alvarez. We would like our offer to be accepted. We say it with all the respect towards Atletico." He added, "We're keeping our hopes up and sticking to our plan -- with all due respect to Atlético -- of trying to sign him."
Atlético Madrid has firmly dismissed any chance of selling Álvarez to Barcelona, describing the situation as "0% chance" and framing it as a matter of club dignity rather than money [1, 2, 4, 6]. The club stated via Marca, "The player is being portrayed as a victim, but the only victims in the Julian case are us. We've hurt us both financially and socially... This situation isn't about money, it's about dignity." Atlético CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin said the club would refuse offers even as high as €200 million for Álvarez, who they regard as a key asset [1, 3].
Barcelona reportedly submitted a bid over €100 million for Álvarez earlier this summer, which Atlético rejected [2, 5, 6]. Atlético also rejected a €150 million offer from Real Madrid for the player, highlighting their determination to keep him [5, 6]. Álvarez joined Atlético in 2024 from Manchester City on a six-year deal through 2030 for about €75 million plus add-ons [1, 3, 6]. Since then, he has scored 49 goals and provided 17 assists in 107 appearances for the club [1, 3, 6].
The forward has expressed a desire to leave Atlético and reportedly told the club during the 2026 World Cup he wants to leave to "fulfil my dream" of joining Barcelona [1, 3, 5]. Tensions with Atlético fans became visible when Álvarez was booed during the club's 2-2 draw with Villarreal on August 23, both as a substitute and warming up [1, 2, 3, 6]. Atlético head coach Diego Simeone said Álvarez heading straight to the dressing room after the Villarreal match was "a pre-agreed club decision" [2].
Atlético cited lingering fitness issues after the World Cup as the reason Álvarez was left out of the season opener against Malaga. On August 26, Álvarez missed training due to reported illness [2, 6].
Barcelona faces criticism from Atlético, which filed complaints with FIFA and the Royal Spanish Football Federation accusing Barcelona of tapping up the player [5]. Meanwhile, Barcelona’s frontline has thinned after Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres left the club this summer, leaving only rookie Hamza Abdelkarim as a natural striker, further motivating their pursuit of Álvarez [4].
With the transfer window closing on September 1, Barcelona and Atlético remain deadlocked. Barcelona continues to push for a deal while Atlético holds firm against selling the player to their rival [1, 3, 4, 5, 6].
