The agent of Atlético Madrid forward Julián Alvarez has teased interest in a transfer to La Liga rivals Barcelona, highlighting his client’s positive feelings towards the Catalan club.
Alvarez is linked with Barça as a long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowski, who turns 37 in August. Premier League teams Arsenal and Liverpool are also credited with interest as each seeks to boost the attacking options on its current roster.
Talk of a Barcelona transfer has been fuelled by Fernando Hidalgo, who represents Alvarez, when he spoke freely upon the question being put to him by El Chiringuito.
“Does Alvarez like Barça? Yes, yes, of course, he admires Spanish clubs,” Hildalgo said.
“Having followed [Lionel] Messi’s career since he was a child, it’s clear that there are few Argentinians who don’t feel something for Barça, especially given Barça’s performance this season.
“Julián is very grateful to the many Barça players who have always spoken well of him, like [Pau] Cubarsí, which motivates him. Today, he’s at Atlético and he’s very happy here, as are Atlético. We’ll see how things evolve; football evolves quickly and good things will happen.”
But the reality of a transfer to Camp Nou any time soon is minimal.
Atlético invested €95 million ($108.5 million) in signing Alvarez from Manchester City just last year and understandably don’t want to sell. He has a release clause, which all players in Spanish football do, but it is a prohibitive amount that Barcelona cannot dream of triggering.
According to MARCA, Atlético won’t sell for anything less than the sum written into his contract—and that’s €500 million ($571.1 million). The club is “at immediate peace” regarding Alvarez, completely relaxed that he will stay “for a while.”
Suitors have already been publicly warned off by Atlético president Enrique Cerezo.
In 2024–25, Alvarez scored 29 goals across all competitions for Atlético, and registered a further seven assists, to make it 36 goal involvements in 54 matches.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Yes of Course’—Julian Alvarez’s Agent Teases Barcelona Transfer.