Barcelona set €100m limit for upcoming Julian Alvarez talks with Atletico Madrid | OneFootball

Next week, Barcelona will approach Atletico Madrid with the hope that a deal for Julian Alvarez can be struck. The 26-year-old can help Argentina reach Sunday’s 2026 World Cup final if they defeat England on Wednesday, and while that will be his sole focus, there is no doubt that thoughts of a possible move to Catalonia will be in the back of his mind.

Earlier in the summer, Alvarez publicly expressed his desire to leave Atleti, seeking a “dream” move to another club. He did not name Barcelona, but given that he’s knocked back approaches from several other clubs, it is clear that he has his eyes set on becoming the Catalans’ new number nine, replacing the already-departed Robert Lewandowski.

Barcelona are determined to sign Alvarez, but they will only do so on their terms. According to MD, sporting director Deco has established a maximum fixed price of €100m for upcoming talks with Atleti, as both he and president Joan Laporta recognise that the club cannot afford to overspent given that their financial woes are far from over.

Players could be included in deal if Atleti give green light

However, €100m is not the maximum amount that Barcelona are prepared to pay all-in. Variables are sure to be offered to Atleti, while the Catalans are also clear that a player could be included if they receive the green light from their La Liga rivals, with Marc Casadó, Ferran Torres and even Ronald Araujo having been mentioned as players appreciated by those at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.

It will be interesting to see whether Barcelona are able to get a deal done for Alvarez, although there is an air of inevitability that they will manage to do it. It makes sense for Atleti to allow a deal to happen, given that they will have a player that doesn’t want to stay, plus they can use the money to put towards their own transfer business.