Atlético secretly gave Álvarez written permission to discuss Barcelona move, journalist claims

Atlético Madrid privately gave Julián Álvarez written permission to discuss a transfer to Barcelona, according to a claim from El Chiringuito TV journalist Jordi Jota — a revelation that sits in stark contrast to the club’s repeated public insistence that no deal involving their direct La Liga rival would ever be considered.

Jota says he personally viewed the document, describing it as proof that Atlético set out conditions under which Álvarez could hold talks with Barcelona and formalised that approval in writing. The document’s contents and authenticity have not been independently verified beyond this single report.

A public stance at odds with reported private actions

Barcelona made a sustained push to sign Álvarez during the summer window, but Atlético’s outward refusal to strengthen a league rival ultimately pushed the Catalan club toward other options. That search concluded with the arrival of Gabriel Jesus from Arsenal, a deal finalised in recent days.

The written-consent claim, if accurate, suggests Álvarez’s situation may never have been as firmly closed as Atlético’s public messaging implied. Throughout the window, the club continued to publicly dismiss any notion of cooperating with Barcelona — even as, according to this report, private written permission had allegedly already been granted.

What the report does and does not establish

It is worth noting what the claim does not include. No transfer fee, contract length, release clause, or financial structure is attached to the alleged document. The report concerns only the reported permission for Álvarez to enter discussions, not any agreed terms between the two clubs. A permission to talk is not a commitment to sell.

Atlético’s public position has remained consistent: no cooperation with Barcelona over Álvarez. Nothing in the report establishes that the club had agreed to let him leave, and the gap between a private conversation and a completed transfer is considerable.

January window flagged as the next opportunity

Barcelona had already accepted before the window closed that completing a deal for Álvarez was not realistic in the time remaining. The signing of Gabriel Jesus does not, according to this report, signal that the club has dropped its interest in the Argentine forward entirely.

The reported plan is for Barcelona to revisit the pursuit when the January transfer window opens, when both the financial and competitive picture may have shifted. That remains a reported possibility rather than a confirmed intention, and the full picture of Álvarez’s future is likely to develop further before then.