On his return to Madrid this week after his summer break, Julian Alvarez apologised to his Atletico Madrid teammates.
He said he had made a mistake in the way he handled his attempt to leave the club this summer, according to sources close to the club.
In an interview while on international duty with Argentina, Alvarez had publicly expressed his desire to leave Atletico, saying “the best thing for everyone is a transfer and I want to fulfil my dream”.
He is understood now to have assured teammates he is fully committed to Atletico.
Alvarez’s preferred destination was Barcelona. The Catalan club’s sporting director Deco met Alvarez’s agent, Fernando Hidalgo, in Madrid and Barcelona also put in a €100m bid for him. It was rejected by Atletico.
Marcos Llorente, Álex Baena, Julián Alvarez, and Juan Musso return to training. In the coming days, they will follow a specific work plan before joining the group. pic.twitter.com/7Dcxj5Xoa2
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) August 10, 2026
Atletico’s stance has been clear all summer. They will not sell Alvarez, especially not to direct La Liga rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona, whom they are actively pushing to compete against.
Indeed, they have publicly slammed both clubs for approaching Alvarez, and chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin recently said they would not sell Alvarez even if a €200m bid came in. Barcelona do not value the forward anywhere near that.
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With a move to the Camp Nou failing to develop, Alvarez has now turned his attention back to Atletico. It seems close to certain that he will stay in Madrid next season and the 26-year-old has assured teammates that he will give everything to the club for as long as he remains at the Metropolitano.
Diego Simeone regards Alvarez as a key part of his attack for the 2026-27 season. Atletico knocked Barcelona out of two competitions last season, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, and they will be looking to push further this season for silverware, at the Catalan club’s expense. Alvarez is expected to be a key part of efforts to fulfil those ambitions.
Barcelona have not completely abandoned their interest, however. Perhaps there might still be few more twists and turns in this long-running saga.
