Atletico Madrid reject claims they encouraged Julian Alvarez to seek Barcelona transfer

Atletico Madrid have expressed surprise at reports claiming they encouraged Argentina forward Julian Alvarez to publicly call for a move to Barcelona.

Argentine media, led by ESPN, reported that Atletico had pushed Alvarez to declare his intention to leave the club and pursue his ambition of joining Barcelona. The claims have caused confusion within the Madrid club, whose officials say the alleged approach does not reflect the way they handle disputes involving players.

Alvarez had previously said: “The best thing for everyone is to complete a transfer, I want to fulfil my dream.” His comments were interpreted as a clear indication that he wanted to change clubs during the current transfer window.

However, sources at Atletico told Mundo Deportivo that the club was not responsible for those remarks. They said the club had not held any direct discussions with the 24-year-old since the end of the season.

According to the same sources, Alvarez left Atletico after the campaign finished to join up with the Argentina squad and participate in the World Cup. Since then, the only contact between the player and the club has been part of the usual communication with players away on international duty.

That contact was handled by the club’s fitness coach, who monitors the condition of Atletico players while they are with their national teams. The club insists the communication was routine and had no connection with Alvarez’s future or any possible desire to leave.

Atletico’s hierarchy has also stressed that it did not open negotiations with Alvarez after the season ended. That position has left officials particularly surprised by reports suggesting the club itself encouraged the player to make his stance public.

Barcelona interest had already been rejected

Although Atletico were not in direct contact with Alvarez, they were aware that he could make a public statement about his future. Club officials had seen an earlier report in Mundo Deportivo indicating that the striker might take action or issue a declaration on 23 June.

That information was subsequently circulated and supported by other media outlets. Atletico were therefore not completely taken by surprise when Alvarez made his position known, but they were surprised by the later reports linking his statement to the club’s own actions.

The dispute follows an earlier approach from Barcelona for Alvarez. Barcelona submitted a formal offer for the Argentina forward several weeks ago, but Atletico rejected it immediately.

The proposal was reportedly worth 100m euros, with payment spread across six instalments. Atletico’s management showed no interest in the structure of the offer and did not consider it seriously.

Mundo Deportivo also reported that Atletico are determined to avoid leaking sensitive matters to the media, particularly issues involving players’ futures and disagreements within the squad.

The club believes that protecting privacy is the best way to resolve problems with its players, rather than allowing a dispute to develop through public statements and competing leaks.