Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez shuts down Barcelona links

Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez has been linked with a move to Barcelona.

Barcelona are preparing for life without Robert Lewandowski, who is in the final year of his contract. There are no talks of a renewal or exercising the clause in his deal to extend it by a year.

Alvarez has attracted interest from Barcelona, but he shut down those rumours after the Spanish side’s win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League.

Alvarez said (via ESPN): “I’m very calm. There’s always talk, but the truth is that the season is just starting now.

“My focus is on improving every day, win for Atletico. That’s the only thing on my mind – social media stories are beyond me.”

The reality is that any pursuit of Alvarez would quickly run into a financial wall. He is under contract until 2030, and club sources will only entertain offers over €200 million.

For Barcelona, who are still juggling debt restructuring and strict La Liga financial controls, such a deal is impossible without drastic sacrifices, either selling off core assets or cutting their wage bill.

Beyond the transfer fee, matching Alvarez’s salary expectations would further stretch the Blaugrana’s budget.

Unless Barcelona suddenly unearth extraordinary resources, chasing Alvarez is little more than a fantasy.

Any attempt to prise him away now would be wasting everyone’s time, as Atletico hold all the cards and intend to keep their star forward.