Here’s some good news in light of Atlético Madrid’s crushing 4-0 loss at Arsenal on Tuesday: Julián Alvarez is in absolutely no rush to leave the club amid social media speculation that he has turned down
a contract renewal offer in search of a project that would practically guarantee him title wins.
This is according to Fernando Hidalgo, Alvarez’s agent. Hidalgo told Italian outlet Calciomercato that any rumors about his World Cup-winning client wanting out, a season and some change after his high-profile move from Manchester City, are “fanciful” and based entirely on “assumptions.”
“None of what has been written is real,” Hidalgo said. “Every time Atlético loses, I have to respond to this.”
Predictably, simmering hysteria over Alvarez’s future at a “losing club” like Atlético boiled over on Wednesday, when Catalan newspaper Sport (every time, lol) published a dubiously-sourced article claiming that Alvarez was losing faith in the Atleti project and would look to join — you guessed it — FC Barcelona if he decided to give up on the Rojiblanco cause. On Friday, an Argentine journalist claimed on X that Alvarez had rejected a new contract and the #10 shirt as he sought to force his way northeast to Barça in 2026.
Never mind that Barcelona cannot afford to trigger Alvarez’s release clause, or even one-third of it, amid massive debt that continues to hang over the club; never mind that Barça’s elections take place next year and president Joan Laporta is gunning for another term. None of that matters. The sole purpose of this rumor is to unsettle Alvarez and unsettle Atlético, a directive from Barça’s board members and toxic entorno to keep Atleti in its place, far away from challenging the Blaugrana in LaLiga or other competitions.
It is blatant, flagrant disrespect for Atlético as an institution, odious attempts to sow discord and uncertainty within a club that is not nearly as institutionally powerful as the evil twins it trails in LaLiga. It is reminiscent of the playbook we saw unfold in 2017, 2018, and 2019 — when Laporta’s predecessor Josep Bartomeu was trying to bring Antoine Griezmann to Camp Nou, leaking “information” to friendly journalists while then-Barcelona players spoke glowingly in the media about the France superstar. Griezmann eventually succumbed to temptation before he realized his mistake and secured a return to Atlético — which, as Zach Lowy wrote on the site yesterday, serves as a cautionary tale for Alvarez if he wants to move on in search of titles.
(Keep in mind too that it is Clásico weekend, and the normally-frenzied hysteria around Barcelona and Real Madrid is turned up about 250 notches as everyone tries to get clicks and views.)
Fortunately for us though, Alvarez seems highly unlikely to force his way to Barcelona, in what ultimately would amount to one of the largest transfers (financially) in football history. La Araña is under contract in the capital until June 2030, and Rubén Uría stated on his show in August that the player has held healthy conversations about renewing at Atlético. We’ll see if that comes to fruition.
But for now, Alvarez is going nowhere — he hasn’t even been here that long — and he seems happy as the star attraction of Diego Simeone’s Atlético, a team that is facing existential questions about its identity and does need to show signs of improvement in the coming months to muster a true challenge for silverware this season. Alvarez is the side’s top scorer with seven goals, and he will look to add to his tally when Atleti visit Real Betis in a top-five clash on Monday night.
