Barcelona Awaits New Public Move from Alvarez After Atletico Refuses to Negotiate

Barcelona haven't given up on signing Julian Alvarez, but the path remains incredibly difficult. According to AS, Atletico Madrid continues to flatly refuse to enter talks over the Argentine striker. The club's stance hasn't shifted even after the World Cup. Atletico's brass insist Alvarez is not for sale and expect him to feature in Diego Simeone's squad next season. The forward is due back for training on August 10, but Barcelona aren't prepared to wait indefinitely — the Catalans have set a late-July deadline. Alvarez has already made a public statement, but it didn't prompt Atletico to reconsider. Barcelona believe the Argentine may need to go public again or increase the pressure on the Madrid club to break the deadlock. The Catalans have already tabled a €100 million bid, only to be rejected. Alvarez's contract runs through the summer of 2031, and Atletico are showing no willingness to entertain a sale.