Barcelona's push for Julián Alvarez is now being discussed at a higher number, with the first formal proposal around €100 million guaranteed and a later plan to rise to €115 million. The problem is the same one it has been for days. Atletico Madrid are still pointing clubs to Alvarez’s €500 million release clause and are not willing to negotiate.

Atletico's refusal keeps the deal frozen

That is why the move remains stuck despite Barcelona's interest. A source quoted by barcauniversal.com said Barcelona continue to insist publicly that they have no intention of increasing their offer, while another Atletico source said the club are maintaining a hard-line stance and showing no willingness to negotiate a transfer.

Atletico Madrid's domestic season also helps explain why they are comfortable taking that line. They finished 4th in La Liga with 69 points, and their Champions League run ended with 17 goals scored across 8 matches. Barcelona, by contrast, finished 1st in La Liga with 94 points and 95 goals, and they added 22 goals in 8 Champions League matches.

August 10 is the pressure point

The deadline sitting over the saga is Julián Alvarez's return to Atletico Madrid for pre-season training on August 10. Teamtalk said Barcelona are preparing one final push before Joan Laporta’s self-imposed deadline, while Goal reported a discreet Madrid meeting involving Deco and Joao Amaral with Fernando Hidalgo and Atletico CEO Miguel Angel Gil.

That leaves Barcelona with a clear choice. They can keep pushing on a deal Atletico have no interest in opening up, or they can move on and accept the market may not give them a striker at the level they want.

Dušan Vlahović is one of the names sitting in the background, but the reporting around him is not as strong as the Alvarez pursuit. Juventus’ numbers cited in the source set are solid enough, 10 goals and 2 assists in 23 appearances this season, yet Barcelona appear to view him as a fallback rather than the main answer.

Barcelona have made the chase public enough to keep it alive, but not strong enough to break Atletico’s position. August 10 is the date that will force the next call.

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