Barcelona suffer major blow as Atletico Madrid move to secure Julian Alvarez’s long-term future | OneFootball

Barcelona’s search for a new striker could hit a serious roadblock, with Julian Alvarez now looking increasingly difficult to sign. 

According to Matteo Moretto in MARCA, it has been learned that Atletico Madrid are already working on a plan to renew the Argentine forward’s contract once the season ends.

If that happens, it could shut the door on any potential transfer, handing Barcelona a serious blow.

It must be noted that Barcelona have been tracking Alvarez closely as part of their plan to refresh the attack. 

The club see him as a top-level option to lead the line in the future, especially with uncertainty growing around Robert Lewandowski. 

The Polish striker is expected to leave, with interest from both European clubs and MLS sides, which has forced Barcelona to look for a long-term replacement.

Situation is not encouraging for Barcelona

As such, Alvarez’s situation is not encouraging for Barcelona, as the forward is settled in Madrid, both on and off the pitch, and there are no strong signs that he is looking for a move. 

As per the outlet, his camp is understood to be happy with life in Madrid and the club itself is confident that he will continue as a key part of their project.

Julian Alvarez is happy in Madrid. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Because of this, Atletico are pushing to secure his future as soon as possible. 

Their plan is to offer a new contract immediately after the season ends, removing any doubts and strengthening their position amid growing interest from other clubs.

Trouble for Barcelona

From Barcelona’s perspective, the deal was already complicated, and it could now become almost impossible. 

This is because Atletico value Alvarez at around €100 million, a figure that already stretches Barcelona’s financial limits. 

If the player were to consider leaving, that price could even rise slightly, making negotiations even tougher.

The key factor remains the player’s decision. Unless Alvarez himself asks to leave, there is very little room for Barcelona to act. 

At the moment, there is no indication that he is ready to take that step, even though he has not completely ruled out future moves in past comments.