Barcelona received on Thursday at the preseason stage in Birmingham the notification of the complaint filed by Atlético de Madrid to FIFA and the Federation (RFEF) because they consider that the blaugrana club tried to sign Julián Álvarez by forcing an exit for an amount lower than his 500 million euro release clause following inappropriate procedures with a player under contract until 2030. The complaint was formalized on June 30 and Barcelona received the notification this Thursday through the RFEF, responsible for channeling this type of claims. The blaugrana club will study the response deadlines and will present allegations in the coming days.
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Atlético decided to file a complaint against Barcelona on June 23 after hearing Julián Álvarez at the World Cup at the end of the match between Argentina and Austria. In it, the forward said that “the best for everyone is a transfer” and he wants to “fulfill” his “dream.”
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However, despite the lack of documented evidence, the rojiblanco club believes that Barcelona is behind this whole strategy so that the player would publicly express during the World Cup his desire to leave the Metropolitano. “Barcelona disrespects us, they think they can ignore us,” protested Miguel Ángel Gil Marín, CEO of Atlético de Madrid. “Our responsibility is to defend Atlético de Madrid’s interests and that is why we will file a complaint with FIFA against Barcelona for negotiating with a player under contract during the protected period,” the executive told EFE.
“Julián has a dream and we Atlético fans also have dreams,” Gil Marín replied, confirming the meeting between the player and the club in which he expressed his desire to change scenery. “It is true that he has spoken with us, but it is also true that he perfectly knows our position because we have been very clear: Atleti does not want to transfer his rights. He is a great player and we are very proud that he plays with us,” assured the CEO.
Julián Álvarez has a contract in force until June 30, 2030, and a release clause of 500 million euros
The 26-year-old forward wants to go to Barcelona. And Barcelona wants Julián. In fact, on May 27, Joan Laporta and Deco met at a hotel with Fernando Hidalgo, the player’s representative, where the terms of a five-season contract were agreed. The dinner also included Juanma López, agent of Dani Olmo, and Joan Garcia, who, thanks to his good relationship with Atlético, acted as an intermediary in the operation.
Barcelona’s negotiation
Barcelona made a formal offer to Atlético of 100 million euros that did not receive a formal response. They did receive one through Atlético’s official channels, which denounced a “campaign of harassment and takedown” against the forward. “But, of course, we would never think of having the vice president of referees on our payroll or resorting to political favors to register players,” published the Madrid entity.
“They lie to us, to the player, to the media, and also lie to their own fans. They try to make everyone believe they can afford an operation for which they are actually not qualified. It is not the first time Barcelona acts like this and the football world is perfectly aware. Last year they did something very similar with Nico Williams and Athletic Club,” Gil Marín concluded.
Before Gil Marín broke his silence, Barcelona maintained the conviction that the operation for Julián Álvarez was still alive. “How are we going to make a new offer if they did not respond to the first one?” was the internal reflection after not receiving an answer to the initial 100 million proposal. Despite this, the roadmap was to reactivate the offensive once the World Cup ended, convinced that there were still options to close the signing for that amount and another 20 or 30 in variables. “But Barça’s offer is not sine die. It has an expiration date,” warned Laporta, who was then personally leading the negotiation.
Also, within the blaugrana board there was deep discomfort understanding that Mateu Alemany, in charge of channeling the negotiation, did not convey the offer to Gil Marín. That lack of communication would have caused confusion around the blaugrana proposal. In fact, Joan Laporta himself later revealed that he had a direct conversation with Gil Marín to personally clarify the terms of the offer and resolve what he defined as an “initial confusion regarding the offer.” But Gil Marín has not given in and Atlético has filed a complaint against Barcelona.
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