Barcelona confirm €100m Julian Alvarez bid was sent as Atletico Madrid deny receiving offer

Barcelona have confirmed to Spanish publication MD that a €100m offer for Julian Alvarez was submitted to Atletico Madrid on Friday, with club sources described as being of ‘maximum credibility’ insisting the bid was emailed directly to Atletico sporting director Mateu Alemany. The claim puts Barcelona in direct conflict with their Spanish rivals, who publicly denied receiving any approach for the Argentine striker.

Atletico escalated the dispute on Friday by posting a series of mocking messages on social media, dismissing reports of a Barcelona bid and reiterating that Alvarez is not for sale. The club also pointed to the striker’s €500m release clause as evidence of how far apart the two sides are in their valuations.

According to MD, Barcelona have no interest in engaging in a public war of words with Atletico. The response from Los Rojiblancos did not go down well internally, but the Catalan club’s preference is to continue their pursuit in a professional manner without further inflaming the situation.

The competing accounts leave the transfer in an awkward impasse. If Atletico genuinely did not receive the offer, the dispute may hinge on a technical or administrative failure in communication. If they did receive it and chose to deny it publicly, the social media campaign represents a deliberate signal that no negotiation will follow.

Atletico’s firm public stance makes it difficult to envisage a deal being struck at anywhere near the €100m figure Barcelona have reportedly tabled. The gap between that opening bid and the €500m release clause is vast, and Atletico’s messaging has been consistent: Alvarez is going nowhere.

Barcelona, for their part, appear to have identified Alvarez as their primary striker target this summer, but the club will have a ceiling on what they are willing to spend before turning their attention to alternatives. How long they persist against Atletico’s resistance will likely define the shape of their attack heading into next season.