Shortly after Argentina defeated Austria 2-0 in Arlington, Texas on Monday, Julián Alvarez publicly requested a transfer away from Atlético de Madrid.
“This isn’t the time to talk about this, but I can’t hide either. I try to be an honest person,” Alvarez said on ESPN. “I spoke with the people at Atlético de Madrid, and I think the best thing for everyone is a transfer. I want to fulfill my dream.”
Alvarez, under contract at Atlético until 2030, has been strongly linked with FC Barcelona for the past year. Last month, Marca reported that Alvarez and his agent Fernando Hidalgo had told the club that the 26-year-old’s preference as to join Barça this summer. The Catalan club made a €100 million offer for Alvarez on May 29 that Atleti laughed off in a series of posts on Twitter.
Earlier this month, Atleti rejected a €150 million offer from Real Madrid for Alvarez, though some sources do not believe the bid was genuine and merely served to set Alvarez’s price should he leave in the end. Officially though, Atleti have referred both Barcelona and Real Madrid to the player’s €500 million release clause.
Now that Alvarez has gone public with his transfer “dream” — which certainly is to head to Spotify Camp Nou — Barcelona will feel emboldened and empowered to negotiate for the Argentina star on their terms following a year-long media blitz engineered to achieve this particular outcome. Atlético’s hardline stance on Alvarez’s immediate future will be tested in the days and weeks to come, but the club’s position has been weakened now that the player has gone public with his wish to leave.
