Barcelona rely on Julian Alvarez talks to unlock Atletico de Madrid transfer

Barcelona are continuing their efforts to sign Atletico de Madrid forward Julian Alvarez, but have changed their approach as the proposed transfer becomes increasingly difficult and time runs short.

The club’s latest move was a meeting in Madrid between sporting director Deco and Alvarez’s agent, Fernando Hidalgo. According to Spanish newspaper AS, the discussions have led Barcelona to adopt a different strategy in their attempt to bring the Argentina international to Camp Nou.

Rather than encouraging the player to make an immediate public statement, Barcelona will now prioritise diplomacy and private dialogue. Alvarez is expected to join Atletico de Madrid’s training sessions without making public comments, before holding meetings with the head coach and the club’s management.

During those discussions, he is expected to make clear that he wants to leave Atletico de Madrid and that his preferred destination is Barcelona. The approach is intended to avoid an immediate public confrontation while allowing the player to reinforce his position directly to those in charge of his future.

The plan is similar to the stance Alvarez took during the 2026 World Cup, when he publicly requested in the mixed zone that he be allowed to leave. However, Barcelona’s current preference is for the forward to press his case through conversations with Atletico de Madrid rather than through statements in front of the media.

It remains uncertain whether that route will convince Atletico de Madrid to reconsider their position. Manager Diego Simeone and Miguel Angel Gil have so far been firm in their refusal to allow the player to leave, with both maintaining a strong stance over his future.

The situation will force those involved to assess the risks of keeping a player who has already told the club that he wants a transfer. Alvarez is also expected to remind Atletico de Madrid of a promise which, according to his agent, was made earlier: that he would be allowed to depart if an attractive offer arrived.

Alvarez believes a move to Barcelona would benefit both the player and Atletico de Madrid. The Madrid club, however, does not share that assessment and has not accepted that the proposed transfer would be in its interests.

For dialogue between the player and Atletico de Madrid to make progress, Barcelona would logically need to improve their financial proposal significantly. The Catalan club’s first offer was below €100m, before being increased to that figure.

Barcelona’s latest proposal is now estimated at about €120m. That figure represents a substantial increase on the opening bid, but the transfer remains unresolved because of Atletico de Madrid’s resistance and the player’s need to communicate his wishes.

The next stage is therefore expected to centre on Alvarez’s meetings with Simeone and the Atletico de Madrid hierarchy. Barcelona will wait to see whether those conversations create an opening for negotiations, while the Madrid club considers how to respond to a player who is seeking a move and a significantly improved offer from Camp Nou.