Barcelona remain on alert over Julián Alvarez

Barcelona’s interest in Julián Alvarez has been given fresh impetus after reports that the Atlético Madrid forward had apologised to the club’s players and staff were denied by media in Argentina.

Alvarez has continued to dominate the transfer headlines in Spain amid Barcelona’s efforts to reinforce Hansi Flick’s squad before the summer transfer window closes. A report from Goal, citing Cadena SER, had claimed that the Argentina international had accepted responsibility for his actions and recognised that his public transfer request during the World Cup had been poorly handled.

Those claims suggested that Alvarez had attempted to repair relations at Atlético, but the story was quickly challenged. ESPN in Argentina reported: “Julián Álvarez has not apologised to anyone at Atléti and continues to want an exit from Atlético Madrid, considering his time at the club to be over. He also did not tell his teammates that he regretted his statements.”

The denial keeps open the possibility of a departure and will be closely watched by Barcelona, who are understood to be interested in bringing Alvarez to Camp Nou. For now, however, there has been no confirmation that Atlético have agreed to let the forward leave.