Barcelona make official Julian Alvarez statement

Updated: 1 Jul 2026 15:41 BST | 5 min read

Julian Alvarez, Hansi Flick, Barcelona — © IMAGO

Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

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Barcelona president Joan Laporta has spoken at length about the club's pursuit of Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez.

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The Argentina international is the protagonist of one of the biggest transfer sagas of the summer. Alvarez wants to leave Atletico Madrid and openly admitted as much last week after a 2-0 win over Austria at the World Cup.

The 26-year-old insisted that a departure from Atletico Madrid would be the best course of action and that he wants to "fulfil his dream." He didn't explicitly name his dream club, but it is an open secret that he was referring to Barcelona.

The Blaugrana have been in talks with Alvarez's entourage for months. He is their top target to replace Robert Lewandowski, who has joined the Chicago Fire on a free transfer after the expiration of his contract.

The problem is that Atleti do not wish to sell. They have rebuffed a €100 million offer from the Blaugrana and are pointing to Alvarez's €500m release clause. Following the offer, Atleti publicly ridiculed Barcelona on social media.

Laporta breaks silence on Alvarez

Now, Barcelona president Joan Laporta has effectively confirmed everything that has been reported in recent weeks. He has tried to defuse the situation with some diplomatic comments, but he nevertheless insists that he remains determined to sign Alvarez.

"I have spoken personally with Atletico de Madrid and made the situation clear," Laporta said in quotes carried by Mundo Deportivo. "[Sporting director] Deco made an offer for a certain amount for this player.

"We know the player has wanted to come to Barca for a long time, even before he was at Man City. We made this offer with all respect to Atletico. They have my utmost respect, both [president Enrique] Cerezo and [CEO] Gil Marin.

"They received the offer and told us they weren't planning to sell because they had no alternative, and I told them that if they did have an alternative, the offer remained on the table.

"We will stand firm for as long as we deem necessary, but we won't be at the mercy of what Atletico might decide on this matter. They know our intentions, and if they want to proceed, we would be delighted.

"They have our utmost respect, and we have good relations both institutionally and personally."

Laporta suprised by Atleti reaction

Laporta claims that he was taken aback by Atleti's strong social media reaction to the bid but insists that it will not influence discussions over a deal for Alvarez.

"Let me state from the outset that we continue to have the same respect for Atletico we always had, which is considerable. The tweets were made before Julian stated that his dream was to play for a big team; he never mentioned Barca.

"Some have interpreted it as referring to Barca, and others haven't. He expressed his dream or idea of changing teams. We didn't force this. It was the player himself. The player was on Barca's radar before signing for Man City [in 2022]; he's always been on our radar.

"At that time, we couldn't afford the transfer. What we did was make a club-to-club offer, transparently and openly. Atletico is aware of this offer; they haven't responded by saying they won't sell, and we understand that they won't sell because they have no alternative, which is what I was told personally."

He added: "Atletico's representatives have a lot of experience in all this; I don't know what their strategy is. I respect it, but there's our offer, and if they want to accept it, we'd be delighted.

"It wouldn't be the first deal between Barca and Atletico; there have been more than one, more than ten. Except for a few contentious ones, since my first term, all have been agreed upon and without problems.

"Is this one perhaps more sensitive? It's very important. We're making a significant effort. It's a proposal we'll maintain as long as we deem it necessary. I see that Atletico is being completely inflexible, but I hope they reconsider and somehow accept this offer, and if they don't, they should communicate it again, and we'll see what we do."

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