Julian Alvarez saga nears end as Barcelona ready to accept Atletico Madrid stance

Barcelona are still holding out hope that a deal can be struck with Atletico Madrid for Julian Alvarez. The Argentine striker is the Catalan club’s leading target to replace Robert Lewandowski, and while they have already reached an agreement on personal terms, striking a deal with their La Liga rivals has proven to be much less straightforward.

The decision to target Alvarez is one that has been unanimously agreed upon by head coach Hansi Flick, sporting director Deco, president Joan Laporta and the rest of Barcelona’s high-ranking officials. The club has already had an opening offer of €100m rejected by Atleti, and they have been waiting for encouragement before going back to Los Colchoneros in the hope that a deal can eventually be agreed upon.

The problem for Barcelona is they are still waiting for this encouragement. Atleti continue to insist that Alvarez will not be sold to a direct rival, and thus, they are beginning to lose hope of getting their man, as reported by Achraf Ben Ayad.

Barcelona had been waiting for Atleti to relax their stance, but after weeks of back-and-forth between the two clubs both in public and behind the scenes, the feeling from within Can Barca is that the door will not be opened this summer. Thus, any chance of a deal happening will depend on Alvarez himself making another move, as he did during the 2026 World Cup when he publicly expressed his desire to seek a transfer.

While they wait for Alvarez’s move, Barcelona have ramped up efforts to secure the services of an alternative. Bournemouth striker Eli Junior Kroupi is a player that is well-liked by the club’s sporting department, and if Atleti never relax their stance, it would be no surprise to see the Catalans pivot to the 20-year-old Frenchman in the coming weeks.