Barcelona willing to include two players in Julian Alvarez offer to Atletico Madrid | OneFootball

Barcelona are still working on a deal for Julian Alvarez, with the plan being for a second offer to be sent to Atletico Madrid after the 2026 World Cup is over. The Catalans saw an opening bid of €100m rebuffed a few weeks ago, but they are now ready to pay €130m to finally bring the Argentina man to the Spotify Camp Nou.

The €100m offer that Barcelona sent to Atleti was quickly turned down, at which point Alvarez’s €500m release clause was referred to. The La Liga champions are clear that they will not pay over the odds, which is why they have been prepared to include players in their proposal in order to make it more enticing for those in Madrid.

As per MD, Barcelona informed Atleti that they would be happy to include two players in the Alvarez operation, those being Alejandro Balde and Marc Casado. However, the response was clear: not for sale, but even if an offer were to be considered, it would be cash only.

Balde offer hints at Barcelona considering summer sale

It is no surprise that Barcelona tried to include Casado in the deal, given that he has no future at the club. However, it is somewhat surprising that Balde was also offered to Atleti, given that the Catalans had previously made it clear that they were not planning to sell the left-back this summer.

Balde has had a very tough last 12 months in Catalonia. He’s struggled for consistency, and during the second half of the 2025-26 season, he was dropped in favour of January signing Joao Cancelo, whom Barcelona want to sign on a permanent basis this summer. Should they do so, it does open the door to a Balde sale, although it would be a risk given that he still has a lot of potential left to fulfill.