Julian Alvarez is thinking about making a big announcement after the Argentina game to speed up his move from Atletico.
Julian Alvarez might be planning a surprise move to convince Atletico Madrid to sell him this summer.
With the World Cup happening right now in North America, it’s easy to forget that there’s still a lot of transfer action ahead this summer. While the Premier League window is already open—letting Liverpool pull off a shock signing of Victor Munoz—most other European leagues haven’t opened their transfer windows yet. LaLiga and Bundesliga clubs can start deals on July 1, and Serie A kicks off on June 29.
Even so, rumors about big players moving around have been swirling for weeks. One of the biggest stories this summer is about Atletico Madrid’s striker Alvarez, with Real Madrid reportedly very eager to sign the former Man City star. On June 9, Real made a huge €150 million offer, but Atletico immediately said no and released a strange statement attacking their La Liga rivals.
Now, though, after playing for Argentina in their World Cup run, Alvarez might take matters into his own hands—but not to join Real Madrid. According to Spanish news outlet Mundo Deportivo, Alvarez is focused on just one other club besides Atletico: Barcelona. He’s thinking about publicly supporting a move to help it happen.
The report says Alvarez and his agent, Fernando Hidalgo, are carefully planning their next steps after meeting with Deco, Barcelona’s director of football. Alvarez’s contract with Atletico runs until 2030, so the club has the upper hand if they want to keep him.
To help Barcelona’s chances, Alvarez might use the spotlight after Argentina’s World Cup games, like the upcoming match against Austria, to share his thoughts. But he’s very careful not to distract from his national team’s campaign. So, if he does speak out, it might be after a big win early in the tournament when the news would be better received.
Atletico’s rejection of that massive €150m offer from Real leaves Barcelona in a tricky spot since they reportedly don’t want to pay that much. Still, Barcelona hope Alvarez will soon speak up to help make the transfer easier, using public pressure to bring the price down.
Even if Alvarez does go public during the World Cup, talks between the clubs could go on for a while this summer.