Julián Álvarez may have just set Barcelona's summer in motion. After a stunning brace helped Atlético Madrid thrash Tottenham 5-2 in the Champions League round of 16 first leg, the 26-year-old Argentine was asked the question everyone had been waiting for: will you still be at Atlético next season?
"Who knows," Álvarez replied. "Maybe yes, maybe no, you never know. I'm very happy here. I'm focused on the day-by-day." It was not the ringing endorsement his club would have wanted, and within hours the transfer rumour mill had gone into overdrive.
Barcelona have long identified Álvarez as the ideal long-term successor to Robert Lewandowski, whose contract expires at the end of June. The 37-year-old Pole has struggled badly since the turn of the year, and reports from Sport in Chicago suggest the Fire have made Lewandowski a formal two-year contract offer — bringing his MLS move closer to reality and creating the vacancy Barcelona need to fill.
Transfer specialist Matteo Moretto confirmed on Despierta San Francisco that "Julián Álvarez would be Laporta's priority and the profile that best fits what everyone wants." His agent Fernando Hidalgo has not ruled out a Camp Nou move, saying that "the situation is day-to-day at Atlético" and that "football is ever-changing."
The obstacles are significant. Álvarez's release clause stands at a staggering €500 million, and Atlético president Enrique Cerezo has declared he is "not for sale." However, with the player's own contract running until 2030 and his reluctance to give guarantees about the future, there is a growing sense that if Álvarez wants to leave, Atlético will have to negotiate.
