Barcelona submitted a bid of approximately €100 million for the Argentine striker in May 2026. Atlético Madrid didn’t just reject it. They essentially set it on fire.
A wall of resistance from Atlético
Atlético’s board responded to Barcelona’s approach with a statement that left zero room for interpretation. Their position: there is “zero consideration” of a transfer to Barcelona.
Atlético views Barcelona as a direct rival, and selling a key attacking asset to a competitor would be the footballing equivalent of handing someone your sword mid-duel. Álvarez joined Atlético from Manchester City in 2024 in a deal worth up to €95 million, and the club has no interest in flipping him to another La Liga contender for a marginal profit.
Atlético filed formal complaints with both FIFA and the RFEF (Spain’s football federation), accusing Barcelona of tapping up Álvarez. The complaints came after Álvarez publicly confirmed his desire to leave Atlético following Argentina’s World Cup victory on June 22, 2026. Atlético’s interpretation was that Barcelona had been working behind the scenes to influence the player’s decision.
