Barcelona ready €130m push for Álvarez — club waits for World Cup to end

Barcelona are planning to relaunch their pursuit of Atlético Madrid striker Julián Álvarez once the 2026 World Cup concludes, according to Diario Sport. The Catalan side is reportedly preparing a final offer worth €130 million — a figure the club considers its ceiling and has no intention of raising to €150m. Atlético have already turned down that bid, but Barcelona remains confident a deal can still be reached. Sources indicate that the Blaugrana deliberately postponed serious negotiations to give Atlético more time to identify a replacement for the Argentine forward. The hope in Catalonia is that talks will accelerate after the tournament. Álvarez’s own desire to move to the Camp Nou this summer is seen as a crucial factor. Despite a less-than-stellar performance for Argentina at the World Cup, Barcelona’s hierarchy view him as the ideal long-term successor to Robert Lewandowski up front.