Atlético Madrid stole headlines on Friday as the club brutally attacked Barcelona with a series of bizarre posts on social media as a response to the noise surrounding Julián Alvarez’s transfer saga. Barcelona reportedly submitted an offer worth $116 million (€100 million) to Atlético for Alvarez. Reports indicate Los Rojiblancos don’t seem overly interested in parting ways with the Argentine for that price. But what Atlético did next can only be described as one of the most surreal and vicious social media attacks a big European club has ever launched. Upset by the speculation surrounding Alvarez’s saga, Atléti posted a series of fake transfer announcements with edited photos of Barcelona players donning Los Rojiblancos’s shirt. HERE WE GO! Hemos enviado un fax al @FCBarcelona_es con nuestra oferta de traspaso: 4 entradas para el concierto de Bad Bunny de mañana, una suscripción anual al ABC y una bolsa de pipas. Esperamos ansiosos la respuesta para preparar el ‘announce’. pic.twitter.com/e0J7mPljHa— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) May 29, 2026“HERE WE GO!” Atletico wrote on their official Spanish X account with a fake Lamine Yamal transfer announcement, attacking not only Barcelona but also soccer journalist Fabrizio Romano, who broke the news of Barcelona’s bid for Alvarez as an exclusive.“We have sent a fax to Barcelona with our transfer offer: four tickets for tomorrow’s Bad Bunny concert, an annual subscription to ABC, and a bag of sunflower seeds. We anxiously await the response to prepare the ‘announce.’”Similar posts were shared with fake transfer announcements involving Raphinha and Pedri. Atléti shared the same three images On their English account and simply wrote: “And remember, it took us just five minutes to create this fake post. We live in an era where reality can be altered. Don’t believe everything you see, especially if it’s related to Barça.”Atletico Madrid Accuses Barcelona of Running ‘Smear Campaign’🤷‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/RyVnSmnx0U— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) May 29, 2026But Atlético soon escalated their online attack to even more ruthless levels. They left aside fake posts making fun of the situation and send a ruthless post throwing accusations Barcelona’s way and even took a page out of Real Madrid’s book, bringing up the Negreira case that alleges the Catalans bribed the former vice president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) refereeing committee.“Lastly, we would like to take this opportunity to categorically deny that we have made an offer to the sporting director of Barcelona to join our scouting team in the Brazilian market,” Atlético wrote before unleashing even further. “No, Atlético de Madrid would never do something like that. However, over the past few months we have been subjected to a relentless smear campaign against one of our players. Calculated leaks, fake news, constant disrespect, the Culé [Barcelona] version of the propaganda machine inventing little stories, phone calls before head-to-head clashes… No, Atlético de Madrid would never do something like that. However, over the past few months we have been subjected to a relentless smear campaign against one of our players. Calculated leaks, fake news, constant disrespect, the culé version of the propaganda machine inventing…— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) May 29, 2026“But of course, it would never occur to us either to have the vice president of the referees on the payroll or to rely on political favors to register players. Respect and values.”In the end, Atlético Madrid’s attack on Friday lasted six posts, contained three photoshopped images, and a number of accusations that evidenced their tremendous discontent at Barcelona’s pursuit of Alvarez—at least how it’s being handled. What’s Next for Atlético, Barcelona in The Alvarez Transfer SagaJulián Alvarez’s future is up in the air. | Maria Gracia Jimenez/Soccrates/Getty ImagesThe heated rivalry between two of the biggest clubs in Spain reached unprecedented levels on Friday. Barcelona didn’t make any public response to Atlético’s attack, but there haven’t been any reports indicating that Atléti’s outburst has lowered their interest in Alvarez. Alvarez is yet to sign a contract renewal with Atlético that’s reportedly been on the table since March, with recent claims suggesting the Argentine could be in favor of leaving the club, with Catalonia being his preferred destination. Still, this could be part of the “fake news” to which Los Rojiblancos took offense.Atlético seem desperate to avoid seeing Alvarez donning the Blaugrana shirt, and with the player under contract until 2030, they hold plenty of leverage. It will take a monumental effort for the Catalans to land their priority target.There’s still plenty of twists and turns on the Alvarez transfer saga forecast, but regardless of how it unfolds, Atlético Madrid’s relentless online attack will forever be remembered as one of the most unhinged, hilarious and shocking events in the world of soccer and social media. READ THE LATEST LA LIGA NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow