Deco provides the keys to the Julián Álvarez case

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La Liga

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Levante Barcelona

13/09/26 16:15:00

15.00 7.50 1.17

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Julián Álvarez was a target during Barcelona's transfer market, and Deco has now revealed that the Catalan club made an offer of 100 million euros for the Atlético Madrid forward, to be paid over three seasons. The operation did not materialize because the red and white club remained firm in their refusal to negotiate the Argentine's departure.

The explanation comes after the close of the market and during an interview granted by Deco to RAC1. Barcelona's sporting director argued that the proposal adhered to standard football formulas and compared the proposed schedule for Álvarez with operations that other clubs pay in five installments.

Deco confirms the offer for Julián Álvarez

The Barcelona proposal amounted to 100 million euros, a figure that had already been leaked during the summer. The new information provided by Deco lies in the structure: the club intended to spread the payments over three years, while Atlético had previously questioned the schedule proposed by the Catalan entity.

Álvarez was under contract with Atlético until 2030 and had a buyout clause close to 500 million euros, so Barcelona needed an agreement between clubs to close the transfer for a lower amount. Atlético rejected the proposal, and Miguel Ángel Gil Marín even stated in July that he would not accept 150 or 200 million euros for the forward.

Barcelona's interest was not a last-minute operation. Deco had been working on the Argentine's arrival since May and had met with his agent, Fernando Hidalgo, before Barcelona submitted their proposal to Atlético.

🚨🔵🔴 Barça director Deco on Julián deal: “We made an offer to pay €100m over three seasons. There are clubs that pay in FIVE instalments”.

“I have no problem with Mateu Alemany; I haven’t done anything to him”, told RAC1. pic.twitter.com/MqvLCQvcCv

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 10, 2026

Barcelona and Atlético maintain different versions

Deco's intervention also serves to address one of the controversies surrounding the attempt to sign Julián Álvarez. The sporting director assured that Barcelona never asked the player to publicly declare his desire to leave Atlético, a matter that had caused tension between the two entities.

Atlético, on the other hand, had stated during the summer that they did not consider selling the player. Gil Marín explained on July 17 that the club would not accept 100 million euros and would hold its position even in the face of higher offers.

The situation also involved Mateu Alemany, Atlético's sporting director. Deco denied any personal conflict with the executive and rejected the idea of any confrontation between them regarding negotiations for the Argentine forward.

Barcelona ended up resorting to other solutions for their attack. After failing to secure Julián Álvarez, the club later finalized the arrival of Gabriel Jesus and had also signed Karim Adeyemi, while Álvarez remained at Atlético when the market closed on September 1.

Now, the 100 million euro offer is part of the record of a transfer that Barcelona pursued for several months without managing to change Atlético's position. Julián Álvarez will remain in Madrid with a contract until 2030, while Deco has explained the financial structure that the club proposed to try to bring him to Camp Nou.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Deco da las claves del caso Julián Álvarez