Joan Laporta has kept Barcelona's interest in Julián Alvarez alive, while Diego Simeone is still talking like Atletico Madrid intend to build around the forward. Laporta says the club made an offer and would stay involved if Atlético decide to sell. Simeone, for his part, continues to treat Alvarez as a cornerstone rather than a player on the way out.

Laporta's offer and Atlético's response

Laporta said the offer remains valid, but only if Atlético change their stance. He said: "We made an offer, club to club. We understand that they're not selling because they don't have alternatives. When they have alternatives, if they want to, and this offer is still valid, we're interested in making the transfer."

He also pushed back on the idea that Barcelona forced the issue. "We didn't force this. It was the player himself," Laporta said, after Alvarez said he wanted to play for a big team.

The fee talk is messy. One version of the story puts Barcelona's bid north of €100 million, while Atlético point to Alvarez's €500 million release clause. Atlético also mocked the interest with joke bids that included Bad Bunny concert tickets, an ABC subscription and sunflower seeds. That is the part that tells you how far apart the two clubs remain.

Simeone still wants him at Atlético

Simeone has not sounded like a manager preparing for an exit. He said Alvarez is "the player we, as a club and as a team, envision as someone to build our play around." In another line, he called him "the best player we have at Atletico Madrid".

There is also the fitness side. Simeone said Alvarez was back to 100% after an ankle concern, which strengthens the case for keeping him central to the team rather than treating him as a spare part. Alvarez's recent World Cup rating of 6.43 across 4 appearances and 211 minutes is a reminder that he has not been overburdened on the biggest stage, and his latest Champions League outing brought 1 goal in the 1-1 draw.

Barcelona finished 1st in La Liga in 2025, Atlético finished 4th, and that gap is part of why this fight is worth watching. Barcelona are trying to keep a title-winning attack moving. Atlético are trying to hold onto the striker Simeone still wants to build around. The offer is alive, but the sale is not.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 5 outlets. How we work →