Barcelona target inspires Atletico Madrid’s eye-catching new shirt design | OneFootball

The 2026 summer transfer window is still yet to open, but the Argentine striker Julian Alvarez has already been one of the most prominent figures involving top European clubs, including the likes of FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Arsenal, and Paris Saint-Germain, in addition to this current club, Atletico Madrid. He is expected to remain so till the end of the transfer window, or till he makes a firm decision about his future.

The Blaugranes are particularly keen to land him, as they have already lost Robert Lewandowski, and the Argentine is their favorite candidate to replace the Pole in their squad. They, along with the Merengues, have already seen their first offer for the forward rejected by the Colchoneros.

Atletico Madrid have so far remained steadfast in their stance that their star player is not for sale, and any club looking to land him would have to pay his €490 million release clause.

Meanwhile, as Mundo Deportivo has noted, the choice of the Madrid club for their kits for the next season is a further indication of the Mattress Makers’ intention of not letting the Argentine forward leave this summer.

The Spanish publication cites Footyheadlines to report that Atletico are planning to have a spiderman inspired shirt for pre-match warm-up for the next season. It will feature a spider-web design, and would be worn by the team ahead of both their home and away games.

This choice is a nod of their memorable jersey from 2004, which featured a Spiderman 2 promotion, and resulted from the club’s sponsorship with Columbia Pictures. However, this jersey had become fashionable once again with the arrival of Alvarez.

The Argentine is nicknamed “The Spider” because of his exceptional ability to control the ball, and this nickname has gained a lot of traction lately. He also celebrates his goals by making gestures like Spiderman throwing his webs.

Meanwhile, Julian Alvarez also remains embroiled in a real-life drama involving some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including his preferred destination, i.e., Barcelona. But if they are planning on having a kit specially focused on him, it would be difficult to imagine Atletico Madrid being open to letting him leave this summer.