Атлетико Мадрид Хулиан Альваресыг Барселонад худалдахгүй гэх байр сууриа хатуу хэвээр хадгалж байна

The image of Julian Alvarez walking alone off the Atletico Madrid pitch, his head bowed as his own team’s fans loudly jeered him, was the most striking yet of this summer’s biggest transfer saga.

Following Atletico’s 2-2 draw with Villarreal on Sunday, their first home game of the new La Liga season, Diego Simeone’s players went together to salute supporters behind the stadium’s south goal.

All went except Alvarez, who accepted advice from the club not to take part, after waves of anger had been sent in his direction from those upset by his publicly stated desire to join Barcelona.

The indignation from Atletico’s fans fits with a firm stance that the club’s hierarchy has taken since the end of May. That was when Barcelona said they made a €100million (£85.7m; $116.4m) offer for Alvarez. Atletico have denied receiving any such bid.

If you think that’s unusual, Atletico’s response to reports of Barca’s proposal was even more so. They posted a series of fantastical transfer news updates on their social media pages, including a swap deal for Lamine Yamal that involved Bad Bunny concert tickets and “a bag of sunflower seeds”.

Así reaccionó el Metropolitano al regreso de Julián Álvarez. 🔊🔥#LALIGAenDAZN⚽️ pic.twitter.com/KvQctofaSk

— DAZN España (@DAZN_ES) August 23, 2026

Alvarez joined Atletico from Manchester City in a deal worth up to €95million in August 2024 and is under contract at the Spanish club until 2030.

Atletico’s position all summer has been that they will not sell him to Barcelona. That did not change after Alvarez told ESPN during the World Cup that he wanted to leave.

Instead, Atletico chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin made the first of three telling interventions over recent months, each time insisting the 26-year-old is not going anywhere, while also criticising Barca — whom Atletico reported to the Spanish FA at the end of July.

Before the World Cup in early June, Real Madrid also claimed to have made a €150million bid for Alvarez. It came a few days after Florentino Perez promised to make a bid of that sum for a top player during his (successful) presidential election campaign. Atletico did not believe it was a serious attempt to sign the player and reacted with angrier and more scornful social media posts.

It served as another reminder of Atletico’s place in Spanish football’s hierarchy. Internally, it will have added fuel to the already communicated idea that they are the “victims” in this case — and that they have to hit back.

Under the 15 years of Diego Simeone’s management, Atletico have won eight trophies — including two La Liga titles and two Europa Leagues — while also twice reaching the Champions League final.

That sets Atletico well ahead of the country’s other historically important clubs such as Valencia, Athletic Club or Sevilla. Yet the Metropolitano outfit are still much smaller than La Liga’s heavyweight Clasico duo. Barca and Real Madrid both have revenues at least twice as big as Atletico’s, as well as much larger fanbases and much stronger institutional clout.

Within this situation, Atletico would like to be taken more seriously as a respected challenger, while both Madrid and Barca enjoy ramming home their superiority whenever they can.

Gil Marin and Atletico’s comments in the Alvarez case have been instructive on this point. He sees himself as defending the interests of his club against predatory behaviour.

“Barcelona have disrespected us, they believe they can brush us aside, that we’re weak or stupid,” he told news agency EFE in late June. “They try to make everyone believe they want to do an operation which in reality they cannot do. Last year they did something very similar to Nico Williams and Athletic Club.”

On Wednesday, Barcelona president Joan Laporta spoke to the club’s in-house media, insisting they had treated Atletico with “respect” and that their interest in Alvarez “followed the standards required”.

The 64-year-old said Barca had not dropped their pursuit of the striker because it appeared Atletico “want to sell the player to other clubs”. This was a reference to Arsenal.

As The Athletic has previously reported, the Premier League club were in contact with Atletico and Alvarez’s camp last week over a potential deal, but are not certain how much the player wants to move to England.

Atletico issued a statement in response to Laporta’s interview, saying there was a “zero per cent chance” Alvarez would be sold to Barca.

“This situation isn’t about money, it’s about dignity,” the statement added. “A campaign full of lies and half-truths has been created. The only ones paying the price for all this are Atletico.

“The player is being portrayed as the victim, but the only victims are us. We have been harmed both financially and socially.”

On Thursday, another Atletico statement said the club’s board of directors had “unanimously expressed” its “absolute support” for the decision to not negotiate with Barca.

It added: “Atletico Madrid trusts that our player will understand the decision and will remain focused on helping the club achieve its goals.”

Perhaps feeding into that is the fact the club is much financially stronger now than they were a few years back, with American asset management company Apollo Global Management having taken a share in their ownership in November 2025.

Alvarez, meanwhile, was absent from training on Wednesday and Thursday this week. Atletico sources — speaking anonymously, like all those cited here, as they did not have permission to comment — said this was because he was feeling unwell.

Alvarez has also attracted interest from Premier League champions Arsenal (Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

With less than a week left in the transfer window, there are no easy options for any of those involved.

For Atletico, holding on to a player who wants to leave carries obvious risk. Will Alvarez successfully be brought back into the fold? Will supporter sentiment turn around? Is the player himself fully committed?

For Barcelona, all indications are that they do not have a plan B in the transfer market for the No 9 position they identified as an absolute priority. Following the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, missing out on Alvarez could leave them worryingly short up front.

Alvarez, meanwhile, can look back on previous cases of Atletico players pushing for an exit, if he is in search of solace or solidarity.

Multiple sources say his relationships with many at the club, including coach and fellow Argentine Simeone, have been damaged by what happened. However, some believe that time can heal everything, pointing to the case of Antoine Griezmann’s rollercoaster spells in the Spanish capital.

Griezmann was an Atletico hero who angered many by first publicly flirting with Barcelona in summer 2018, then joining them 12 months later when the Catalan club activated his €120million release clause.

The Frenchman never fully settled at the Camp Nou and returned to the Metropolitano, initially on loan, in 2021. He then worked extra hard to win over the team-mates and fans he upset, which included appearing in a club-produced documentary. Griezmann eventually became Atletico’s record goalscorer, and was acclaimed before leaving for MLS club Orlando City at the end of last season, aged 35.

It remains to be seen whether Alvarez, a serious and introverted character, would be able to manage such a return to favour. The anger sent in his direction last weekend is unlikely to have immediately changed his thinking about wanting to leave. Atletico’s resolve also appears to be unwavering.

With just a matter of days left until the transfer window closes on Tuesday, time is running out for Barca. For Atletico, hanging on to Alvarez will be seen as a victory, but at the moment it’s difficult to see any winners in this situation.