Alvarez's agent set to meet Atletico Madrid amid Barcelona transfer tension

Julian Alvarez’s agent Fernando Hidalgo is set to arrange a meeting with Atletico Madrid after the club publicly denied reports of a €100 million Barcelona bid for the Argentina forward, with Atletico accusing the Catalan club of running a deliberate smear campaign.

On Friday morning, widespread reports claimed Barcelona had submitted a nine-figure offer for Alvarez, who has been identified as the club’s primary target to replace Robert Lewandowski. Atletico moved swiftly to deny the bid, first through contacts in the Madrid media and then in a series of posts on social media.

In six posts styled as parodies of transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano’s signature announcement format, Atletico mocked the rumours by claiming they were signing Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Raphinha — in two cases in exchange for Bad Bunny concert tickets. A separate meme depicted Barcelona as a dog dressed in a lion costume. The club’s statement concluded by accusing the “Barcelona propaganda machine” of fabricating stories, and took pointed aim at the Negreira refereeing corruption case and the controversial registration of Dani Olmo.

According to Indykaila, Hidalgo will now seek a meeting with Atletico with the aim of reducing friction between the player’s camp and the club, and to facilitate what the report describes as “a move that benefits everyone.” The implication is that the agent wants to limit the risk of Atletico’s public anger complicating any eventual transfer to Barcelona.

Both Alvarez and manager Diego Simeone have been deliberately vague when asked about the striker’s future in recent months, though Alvarez has acknowledged he is settled in Madrid. Whether Barcelona will follow up with a formal, official approach for the 25-year-old remains unclear.