FC Barcelona is recommencing its quest for a forward, who is valued at €90 million, to reinforce their attacking line for the 2026 season.
The player’s phenomenal performance in La Liga has earmarked him as a leading target for the Catalan team, identified as a pillar for Hansi Flick’s future vision.
Barcelona’s money-related restrictions have had a large impact on their transfer plans, however, they have approached securing the deal differently, taking notice of other clubs’ interest in the player.
The target is Julian Alvarez, the Argentine 25-year-old, who has an impressive record of 29 goals and six assists in 53 games for Atletico Madrid this season, as reported by Fichajes.
Alvarez has enjoyed a great season, under Diego Simeone at Atletico, since his transfer from Manchester City a year ago.
He has demonstrated versatility, precision finishing, and relentless pressing ability.
Alvarez has the football intelligence and does his best work in between the lines, which could fit into Flick’s style of play, so he would make great sense for Barcelona’s attacking needs.
To work through their problems financially, Barcelona is weighing a player-swap deal to reduce the size of Alvarez’s enormous €90 million transfer fee.
While it is unknown which specific players Barcelona are looking to move to Atletico, the player swap shows Barcelona’s willingness to act quickly to have the edge on other competitors.
The most likely timeline for transfer will be the summer of 2026, to ensure Barcelona can manage the deal correctly and plan with the timeline.
Alvarez’s camp appears open to a deal if it requires a competitive project to associate with, which Barcelona are keen to provide.
To procure Alvarez would be a definitive signal of intent for Barcelona, yet Atletico are reluctant to leak their star player, further complicating the project for Barcelona should they sign Alvarez.
Now with Flick’s project reaching a point of success, particularly with the recent renewals of key figures such as Raphinha, securing a player such as Alvarez could take the Barcelona attack to another level.
Provided Barcelona can find a way to make the deal, 2025–26 may represent the last season of Alvarez at Atletico.
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