Alvarez agent Fernando Hidalgo posts ‘liar’ message after Atletico reject Barcelona transfer

Fernando Hidalgo, the agent of Atletico de Madrid forward Julian Alvarez, has appeared to criticise the club’s position on the player’s future with a pointed message on Instagram.

Hidalgo wrote: “Never ask a liar why they lied. To explain it, they’d have to lie again”.

The post comes after Atletico de Madrid officials refused to sell Alvarez to Barcelona during the current summer transfer window. The club have insisted that Alvarez was never promised he would be allowed to leave this summer.

Atletico’s position is that the only way for the Argentina international to depart is for his release clause to be paid in full.

Hidalgo did not refer directly to Atletico de Madrid, Barcelona or any individual in the Instagram message. However, it was published after the Spanish club rejected Barcelona’s attempt to sign Alvarez and reiterated its stance on the player’s contract.

The disagreement centres on whether Alvarez was given an assurance that he could leave Atletico during this transfer window. Club officials have denied that such a commitment was made, while the player’s representative has now issued the cryptic statement.

Atletico, known as Los Rojiblancos, maintain that the terms of Alvarez’s contract determine his future. Unless the release clause is activated, the club’s position is that the 2026 World Cup participant will remain at the Metropolitano.

Alvarez announced his desire to leave Atletico de Madrid this summer after taking part with Argentina in the 2026 World Cup. His reported wish to move has placed the club under pressure as Barcelona seek to secure his signing.

The forward’s agent has not provided a further explanation for the post. The message has nevertheless added to the tension surrounding Alvarez’s situation and publicly highlighted the difference between Hidalgo’s position and Atletico’s account of the player’s contractual arrangements.

For now, Atletico continue to reject the possibility of negotiating Alvarez’s departure through a conventional transfer. Their stated condition remains unchanged: the release clause in his contract must be paid if the forward is to leave the club this summer.

Hidalgo’s intervention is the latest development in a transfer dispute that has involved the player, his representatives, Atletico de Madrid and Barcelona. The club’s refusal to authorise a sale, together with its denial that Alvarez received a promise allowing him to depart, has left the release clause as the central issue in the negotiations.