Barcelona are pushing hard to sign Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez, with sporting director Deco meeting the player agent Fernando Hidalgo in Barcelona on Wednesday. The Camp Nou club believe a deal can be reached for around 100 million euros plus add-ons. Accompanying Deco at the meeting was agent Juanma Lopez, who spent a decade as a player at Atletico and maintains close ties with the club, giving Barcelona a useful ally in negotiations.
Alvarez has previously made his preference to join Barcelona known despite also drawing interest from Arsenal and PSG. Both clubs are eager to settle the matter before the 2026 World Cup begins on 17 June, when Argentina face Algeria in their opening group game. The pursuit of Alvarez accelerates just days after Barcelona wrapped up an agreement to sign Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon.