One of the stories of the past few months has been Barcelon’s interest in Julian Alvarez, despite Atletico Madrid declaring that he is not for sale. Even if he was, it seems he would be out of reach for Barcelona financially.
Since late last season, there has been a consistent thread of stories surrounding Alvarez’s future, with hints and stories appearing in the press that Alvarez would be interested in a move too. On Friday, Diego Simeone criticised the focus on Alvarez’s future, after he did not confirm that he would be there next summer, albeit noting that he was happy at the Metropolitano. Yet Barcelona have reportedly set a budget of €100m to find their replacement for Robert Lewandowski this summer, which seems unlikely to be enough to tempt Atletico.
🚨 Hansi Flick: “This week we have three matches and it’s a very important week. We play at home and we want to win all three. It won’t be easy, but we have to play with confidence and conviction.” 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/rjXTDsjuOA
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 14, 2026
Why Barcelona continue to believe in Alvarez deal
It has been something of a surprise that Barcelona have been as persistent as they have, given the doubts over their spending capacity. In 2026, his agent has twice denied talks with Barcelona, but last summer, the door was also left open to a move. Cadena SER report that there is a motive behind their insistence with Alvarez.
CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin has no intention of selling Alvarez, and is keen to keep hold of him at all costs. He was one of the voices behind spending big on him last summer. However there are unnamed ‘powerful people’ within the Atletico hierarchy that are open to the idea of selling Alvarez at a reasonable price, and strengthening the team in other areas with the money he could bring in.
Apollo Sports Capital could be key
Even so, it seems unlikely that Barcelona would be able to make that sufficiently lucrative to persuade Atletico. Arsenal have also shown interest in Alvarez, and they would far rather sell to the Premier League than another rival. An English side would also be able to outbid Barcelona in all likelihood, and with the arrival of new owners Apollo Sports Capital, income is far less likely to be an issue for Los Colchoneros.
