Atletico Madrid’s release clause for Barcelona target is €490 million and he is not for sale – report | OneFootball

Barcelona’s hopes of signing Julian Alvarez this summer have been dealt another blow, with journalist Ruben Uria unravelling the key details of the transfer saga.

Uria suggests Atletico Madrid’s position on Alvarez is absolute and non-negotiable, and the figures being circulated in much of the media surrounding his potential transfer fee are, in his words, simply not accurate.

What is Alvarez’s release clause?

Is Alvarez being kept hostage at Atleti? (Photo by Marcos Brindicci/Getty Images)

Uria reports that Alvarez’s release clause stands at €490 million. There are no reductions, no special conditions for Spanish clubs, and no exceptions based on timing or circumstance.

The journalist uses Real Madrid’s own €150 million offer to undermine the widely reported suggestion that the clause sat somewhere between €120 and €150 million.

If the clause were €120 million, Uria argues that Real Madrid wouldn’t have ended up offering a €150 million bid.

A broken relationship at the top

Uria also sheds light on the behind-the-scenes dynamics that shaped Tuesday’s extraordinary public exchange between the two Madrid clubs.

Atletico Madrid do not want to sell Alvarez. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

The relationship between Atletico president Miguel Angel Gil Marin and Florentino Perez is described as completely nonexistent, with the two men unable to reach any kind of agreement.

As soon as Real Madrid made contact to enquire about Alvarez, Atletico shut the conversation down immediately.

Real Madrid’s subsequent public statement, Uria suggests, served primarily to demonstrate that Florentino had fulfilled his promise to make a €150 million offer for a top player.

Atletico are not selling. Not for €100 million, not for €150 million, and not for any figure short of the full release clause.

That effectively rules out Barcelona, who are not in a position to offer anything more than €120 million, at best.