Atletico Madrid gave Julian Alvarez written consent for Barcelona move – report | OneFootball

Atletico Madrid privately gave Julian Alvarez written permission to discuss a move to Barcelona, despite the club’s public insistence that no deal with the Catalan side would ever be entertained.

That’s according to an update from El Chiringuito TV, which claims Atletico put their approval in writing to the Argentine striker, directly contradicting the hardline stance the club has taken in public throughout the summer.

Journalist Jordi Jota says he has personally seen the document. 

“One of the conditions that Atletico de Madrid set was that he would talk, and two, he was told, and it was written to him, that the Barça thing was okay. 

“I saw it, and that’s why I’m so sure of what I’m saying,” he said.

What’s the story?

Atletico Madrid gave Alvarez written consent to sign for Barcelona. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

The claim adds a significant twist to a transfer story that had appeared settled, at least for now. 

Barcelona pushed hard to prise Alvarez away from Atletico Madrid this summer, but the Rojiblancos’ unwillingness to strengthen a direct rival in La Liga ultimately steered the Catalan club toward alternative targets.

That search led Barcelona to Gabriel Jesus, whose arrival from Arsenal has been finalised in recent days. 

But according to the aforementioned update, Alvarez’s situation was never as closed off as Atletico’s public messaging suggested, with written consent granted even as the club rejected any suggestion of cooperating with Barcelona.

Barcelona are not giving up

Barcelona could return for Alvarez in January. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Barcelona signing Gabriel Jesus does not mean the club has abandoned its interest in Alvarez. 

As previously reported, Barça accept that completing a deal for the Atletico Madrid forward is not realistic in the closing days of this transfer window.

However, the plan is to revisit the pursuit when the January window opens, when the financial and competitive landscape could look different, making the claim of written consent quite significant. 

If Atletico Madrid have indeed signalled that they would allow Alvarez to leave for Barcelona under the right conditions, it undercuts the club’s public position that a transfer to a direct rival would never be sanctioned.