Barcelona have told Atletico Madrid their offer for Julián Alvarez will not stay open forever. Joan Laporta said the club will decide how the final two weeks of July unfold, while Atletico's top voices are answering with the same message: the forward is staying where he is.
Barcelona's deadline
Laporta's line was unusually clear for a live transfer chase. "We're not going to dance to anyone's tune. We set the pace here. We've made an offer, but it's not an open-ended offer, it's not an unlimited offer," he told goal.com.
That fits the shape of Barcelona's approach. The club have made a bid described as around €100m guaranteed, with bonuses potentially added, but Laporta made clear the window is finite. This is not being handled like a month-long waiting game.
Atletico's response
Atletico have not budged from their public stance. Enrique Cerezo said Laporta "knows very well... where Julian Alvarez will be playing next year," while Miguel Angel Gil went further, saying the club did not accept an offer of €100m and would not accept €150m or even €200m.
Gil also said Atletico had made their position clear to the player, his representatives and the Barcelona president. He added that Atletico have no doubt the club is the right place for Alvarez and that they want to keep him.
The price point is the problem. Atletico have cited a €500m release clause, which makes Barcelona's reported bid look like an opening move rather than a realistic path to agreement. Alvarez's own record is part of why the row has got this far, with 49 goals and 17 assists in 106 appearances since arriving from Manchester City in August 2024.
There is still a wider question over whether this ends with a sale or with Atletico simply closing the door. For now, the public line from Madrid is firmer than Barcelona's deadline. The next proper marker is the final two weeks of July, when Barcelona expect to decide whether the offer stays alive or goes away.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 5 outlets. How we work →
