Atlético Madrid have accused Barcelona of a "relentless smear campaign" in their pursuit of forward Julián Álvarez.
Atlético Madrid have accused Barcelona of a "relentless smear campaign" in their pursuit of forward Julián Álvarez.
Gomez: Alvarez offers Barcelona the ability to press (1:07)
Alex KirklandMay 29, 2026, 04:22 PM ET
Atlético Madrid have accused Barcelona of a "relentless smear campaign" in their pursuit of forward Julián Álvarez, claiming the LaLiga giants have been responsible for "calculated leaks, fake news and constant disrespect" in an extraordinary series of posts on social media.
ESPN reported on Thursday that Barça were hopeful of signing Álvarez, 26, after meeting with the Argentina international's representatives and being told that the player favoured joining them over alternatives like Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal.
On Friday, Atlético posted a trio of tongue-in-cheek offers for Barça stars Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Raphinha on X and Instagram, after Barcelona were widely reported to have submitted a bid for Álvarez.
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Earlier, club sources had told ESPN that they had not received any such offer, and expressed their unhappiness at the Catalan club's tactics.
A deal for Álvarez would not be straightforward, given that the forward has a contract at Atlético until 2030, and a €500 million release clause.
"Over the past few months, we've been subjected to a relentless smear campaign against one of our players," Atlético posted on X. "Calculated leaks, fake news, constant disrespect, the culé version of the propaganda machine inventing little stories, phone calls before head-to-head clashes.
Averytin News Soccer update.