Julián Álvarez referred to the possible interest of FC Barcelona in the summer of 2026. The 25-year-old forward is one of the most highly-rated names to succeed Robert Lewandowski in 2026/27, but for now, there is no ongoing negotiation between the parties
"I see what is being said on social media... In Spain, there's a lot of talk about me and Barcelona. For now, I'm focused on Atlético. We'll see what happens at the end of the season," explained 'El Araña' in an interview with 'L'Equipe'.
The Atlético de Madrid forward also recalled that, at the age of 11, he was close to signing for Real Madrid, but decided against leaving his country so soon due to family reasons. Julián made the leap to Europe in 2022 with Manchester City.
Three years later, he has established himself as one of the most lethal attackers on the planet, already with a World Cup and a Champions League on his record. Since his arrival in LaLiga, he has scored 38 goals and provided 12 assists in 72 matches for Atlético.
Julián Álvarez confident of winning titles with Atlético this season
In that sense, Álvarez is clear that, for now, his priority is to help Atlético break a streak of four seasons without winning trophies. The 'rojiblanco' number '9' believes that his team "can beat anyone," although they have had a start to the season with many ups and downs."We are having difficulties away from home and we have to polish some details, but the season is long. We are very strong in head-to-head matchups," argued the 'Spider'.
Similarly, in his chat with 'L'Equipe', Julián recalled that, in 2024, Paris Saint-Germain also came close to signing him, but Atlético made a greater effort. The 'Colchoneros' paid 75 million euros net for his transfer, plus an extra €10M in variables, signing him until 2030 with a release clause of €500 million.
Barça's Accounts to Go for Julián Álvarez in 2026
For Barça to enter the bidding for Julián Álvarez fully, they would need at least 100 million on the table as a starting point for negotiations. The player from Calchín is already valued at 100 'kilos' on 'Transfermarkt' and his salary is around €7M gross per season.
With the return to the Spotify Camp Nou, the club will be able to operate without problems under the 1:1 rule in 2026. Furthermore, the wage bill that would be freed up by Lewandowski's departure (€26 million) could be key to amortizing a transfer like that of the Argentine or any other goalscorer.
Barça could reduce the transfer fee by including a player in the operation. Names like Marc Casadó have recently interested Diego Simeone's team, but Barça did not want to listen to offers for the midfielder this yearIn any case, there is peace of mind within the Barça board to negotiate a satisfactory agreement for all parties.
Other forwards on Barça's radar are Harry Kane and Erling Haaland, the latter an impossible dream for Joan Laporta after his latest renewal with City
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