Atlético Madrid launched an extraordinary social media attack on Barcelona as tensions over Julián Álvarez’s future spilled into the public domain.
The Madrid club used a series of sarcastic posts to mock reports linking the Argentine striker with a move to the Catalan giants, while accusing their rivals of carrying out a “smear campaign” against one of their players.
Barcelona have reportedly entered talks over a deal for Alvarez and are prepared to submit a bid worth around €90m (£77.9m), although Atlético are expected to reject any approach.
Atlético jokes about the signing of Yamal
In response to speculation, Atlético published a tongue-in-cheek transfer offer for Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal.
The club claimed to have sent a proposal consisting of four tickets to a Bad Bunny concert, an annual subscription to the newspaper and a bag of sunflower seeds in exchange for the Spanish international.
The publication was accompanied by a mock transfer announcement and was part of a series of satirical messages directed at Barcelona.
Atlético also made joke offers for Pedri and Raphinha, including one proposal that included six concert tickets and another that referenced club president Enrique Cerezo’s earlier confusion in naming fictitious players “Tom Ford” and “Smith.”
Social media posts attract a lot of attention
The flood of messages was posted over the course of just over an hour and quickly gained traction online, reportedly appearing in more than 55 million feeds on X.
While the first posts had a light-hearted tone, Atlético later took a more serious stance in addressing the ongoing speculation about Álvarez.
The club warned its supporters about online misinformation, stating that reality could be easily manipulated and urging fans not to believe everything they read about Barcelona.
Atlético accuses Barcelona of lack of respect
In a subsequent statement, Atlético claimed that it had been the subject of months of negative coverage surrounding one of its players.
The club alleged that the leaks, fabricated stories and attempts to unsettle players had been part of a coordinated effort to influence public opinion during the transfer saga.
Atlético also referenced Barcelona’s long-standing legal problems relating to former Spanish referee committee vice-president José María Enríquez Negreira, as well as the club’s well-documented player registration difficulties.
Barcelona has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to the Negreira case, while investigations remain ongoing.
Álvarez continues to be a key figure for Atlético
Transfer speculation centers on Álvarez, who has scored 20 goals in all competitions this season.
The Argentine international arrived at Atlético from city of manchester in 2024 in a deal worth up to £81.5m and has quickly become one of Diego Simeone’s most important attacking players.
With Atlético showing no desire to sell and Barcelona continuing to explore offensive reinforcements, the dispute between the two Spanish giants seems unlikely to go away anytime soon.
