Laporta and Atletico Madrid chief seek to heal rift before Barcelona clash

Barcelona president Joan Laporta will lead the club’s delegation to Madrid on Sunday as relations with Atletico Madrid return to normal after a bitter dispute over Julian Alvarez during the summer transfer window.

The two clubs will hold an official lunch before their La Liga meeting at Riyadh Air Metropolitano on 08 November 2026, with the event intended to underline a thaw between their administrations.

The first sign of a reconciliation came when Laporta met Atletico chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin at a European Club Association meeting in Copenhagen. Laporta said the pair embraced and moved beyond the disagreement that had developed during the summer.

“It was a friendly and excellent meeting,” Laporta told Mundo Deportivo. “When we met, we felt we had to continue the good relationship between the clubs, as well as our personal relationship. I value him greatly, and he knows that, just as I feel his affection for me.

“We met and embraced immediately. I believe we have overcome the disagreements and restored the relationship to how it should be. I am very happy about that, especially because he is someone I value greatly.”

The dispute reached its peak in late August, when Gil Marin criticised Barcelona’s conduct during the Champions League draw on Movistar.

“This makes me even angrier,” he said. “We are disgusted by falseness, a lack of ethics, transparency and professionalism. We can only confirm that we will not negotiate with Barcelona under any circumstances.”

Barcelona vice-president Rafa Yuste, who was also attending the draw in Monaco, responded angrily.

“What surprises me is that, despite knowing him, he made such statements that lacked courtesy and respect,” Yuste said. “He crossed the line against everyone at the club, as well as the sporting director and coach, in a way I simply cannot understand. These comments anger me and I do not agree with them.

“You cannot describe a club with which you have had a relationship for many years as disgusting, and we will not allow that. People must show courtesy in their lives. We exchanged a few words with the Gil family and club president Enrique Cerezo, and I told them what I had said before: we are calm and our consciences are clear.”

Gil Marin’s comments followed Laporta’s defence of Barcelona’s efforts to sign the Argentine forward. Laporta said the club had acted correctly after making an offer that Atletico rejected, despite Alvarez having indicated since his participation in the World Cup in the United States that he wanted to leave. Alvarez recently apologised for saying that “the best thing for everyone is to consider a transfer”.

Laporta later claimed Atletico had offered Alvarez to Arsenal, saying: “If they felt insulted, they know why. Their reaction was excessive and out of context. I do not know the reason, although I can guess it, but I cannot say it publicly because I have no evidence.

“We received information that they were offering him for sale, but ultimately they revealed their true position and said they would sell him to any club except Barcelona. We have always dealt with them openly. We spoke to Gil Marin and made an offer, and they replied that they had no replacement. We told them that if they had a replacement, we could discuss it. I do not understand the exaggerated reaction that followed.”

Although the dispute appears to have ended at boardroom level, tensions could still be high in the stands at Riyadh Air Metropolitano.

The Copenhagen embrace will be followed by the lunch, attended by Gil Marin, Laporta, Yuste and the Barcelona directors responsible for accompanying the squad to Madrid. Barcelona officials will also sit in the stadium’s main stand, where the clubs are expected to publicly demonstrate that peace has been restored.