Julian Alvarez: Barcelona rift lingers at Atletico Madrid

Julian Alvarez stayed at Atletico Madrid when the summer window shut, but the row that consumed the closing weeks of the transfer market has not gone away.

The 26-year-old striker was the subject of a pursuit by Barcelona that never turned into a move, and the fallout has left the two La Liga sides in open dispute. One senior figure inside Atletico summed up the mood to The Athletic.

Arsenal explored the possibility of an offer for Alvarez while the saga was at its most heated, and the striker was jeered by his own supporters at the Metropolitano before deadline day passed. Atletico went as far as reporting Barcelona to the Spanish football federation, accusing the Catalan club of "disgusting behaviour" in their approach.

The interest was not new. Alvarez's agent, Fernando Hidalgo, said in July 2025 that his client had grown up a Barcelona fan because of his Argentina team-mate Lionel Messi, and floated the idea of him ending up at the Camp Nou.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Atletico consider the matter closed for now — Alvarez has returned to training after several days away from the group, put down to an "indisposition" — but the club expect the subject to resurface. Barcelona's move for Gabriel Jesus has not ended the speculation around Alvarez, by Atletico's own reading, and any Champions League or Copa draw pairing the two sides, or a direct meeting in a competition such as the Supercopa, is expected to bring the rumours back. Atletico's view, relayed to Mundo Deportivo, is that the more it happens, the worse relations with Barcelona will get.

If Atletico are right, the dispute will not stay dormant. A resumed approach in January or next summer would reopen a row that has already produced a federation complaint and public accusations between two clubs who now face each other in three competitions this season.