Julian Alvarez #9 of Argentina arrives before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group J match between Argentina and Algeria at Kansas City Stadium on June 16, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images
The Argentine forward Julian Alvarez has remained the top transfer target for FC Barcelona for the entirety of this summer, as they have picked him as their preferred candidate to replace Robert Lewandowski in their squad.
However, their efforts to land him have not borne fruit so far. They have already seen their first offer for the forward being rejected by Atletico Madrid, and the Colchoneros have also filed complaints with RFEF and FIFA against the Blaugrana club for having negotiated with their player despite him having four years on his contract.
The player himself is also keen to join Barcelona, and it seems like the Catalan club and his agent, Fernando Hidalgo, are going to devise a joint strategy to make the Mattress Makers agree to his sale. In this regard, Deco was reported to have recently travelled to Madrid to meet with Alvarez’s agent.
With Atletico in no mood to enter any negotiations with Barcelona, it is clear that the player himself will have to take an initiative and ensure his departure from his current club. In this regard, a report from Mundo Deportivo reveals that with Gil Marin being inflexible in this matter, the player is looking to talk to Diego Simeone to find a way out.
Being the head coach, it will be Simeone who will be handling Alvarez on a day to day basis, and he will definitely not want to have an unhappy player in his dressing room. Thus, the forward is planning to talk to his compatriot and head coach once he returns to training on 10 August.
It remains to be seen how Simeone will react to this. He can either decide to ignore the player’s wishes and keep him in his squad against the forward’s wishes, or he can relay the player’s request to the decision-makers at Atletico Madrid to look for an amicable resolution of the matter.
After that, it is clear that Julian Alvarez will not consider any other destination but Barcelona, but for now, the main stumbling block is Atletico Madrid’s reluctance to negotiate.
Jorge Salinas of Real Racing Club de Santander is challenged by Ivan Alejo of Real Valladolid CF during the LaLiga Hypermotion match between Real Racing Club de Santander and Real Valladolid CF at Campos de Sport de El Sardinero on May 16, 2026 in Santander, Spain.
Jorge Salinas of Real Racing Club de Santander is challenged by Ivan Alejo of Real Valladolid CF during the LaLiga Hypermotion match between Real Racing Club de Santander and Real Valladolid CF at Campos de Sport de El Sardinero on May 16, 2026 in Santander, Spain.
Julian Alvarez #9 of Argentina arrives before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group J match between Argentina and Algeria at Kansas City Stadium on June 16, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Julian Alvarez #9 of Argentina arrives before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group J match between Argentina and Algeria at Kansas City Stadium on June 16, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri.