The saga surrounding Atlético Madrid's star player, Julián Álvarez, came to an end just moments ago after weeks of prolonged and arduous developments, following Barcelona's unsuccessful attempts to secure his services.
The summer transfer window officially closed at midnight on Tuesday in Spain, which corresponds to 1:00 AM in Cairo.
The first chapter of the Julián Álvarez saga dates back to Barcelona's offer last June to sign him for €100 million, a proposal that Atlético Madrid firmly rejected, even responding mockingly to the Catalan club through its official social media accounts.
Real Madrid then entered the picture by officially announcing an offer of €150 million to acquire Julián Álvarez; however, Atlético Madrid's management again refused, confirming their insistence on receiving the full release clause amount of €500 million.
Complicating matters further were statements made by Álvarez during Argentina's participation in the World Cup last June, where he explicitly expressed his desire to leave Atlético Madrid, describing such a move as beneficial for both parties.
Álvarez's remarks triggered intense anger within Atlético Madrid, which viewed Barcelona's actions as irresponsible and unprofessional for contacting a player under contract with the team.
Consequently, Atlético Madrid filed an official complaint with FIFA and the Spanish Football Federation against Barcelona, accusing the latter of acting dishonestly toward Álvarez and engaging in illegal secret negotiations.
Read also... Reactions of Atlético Madrid fans toward Álvarez following the failure of his transfer to Barcelona
Atlético Madrid declared, both in an official statement and through comments by club officials such as CEO Gil Marín, that Julián Álvarez is absolutely not for sale, especially to Barcelona, accusing the Catalan club of lacking professionalism while also launching an attack on the Argentine's agent.
After concluding his summer break following the World Cup, Julián Álvarez returned to Atlético Madrid to participate in team training, hoping for a personal meeting with club officials and coach Diego Simeone—an encounter that never took place.
The situation worsened when Álvarez appeared as a substitute in Atlético Madrid's match against Villarreal. Upon the announcement of his name, he faced fierce backlash from the fans. As soon as he stepped onto the pitch following Simeone's substitution, he was met with relentless boos every time he touched the ball—a rare occurrence that left him visibly frustrated, prompting him to quickly exit the field once the final whistle blew.
Subsequently, Álvarez missed three consecutive days of Atlético Madrid training due to illness, resulting in his exclusion from the match against Sevilla. He later resumed training but did so individually.
Amid all this, Arsenal expressed strong interest in signing Álvarez and indeed contacted Atlético Madrid. However, Álvarez showed no desire to return to the English Premier League, remaining steadfast in his wish to join Barcelona. Notably, the La Liga champions similarly persisted in their pursuit of the Argentine until the situation became impossible.
Ultimately, Barcelona raised the white flag and opted to sign another striker, Gabriel Jesus from Arsenal, on the final day of the summer transfer window.
Immediately after the conclusion of the summer transfer market, the words "The End" appeared on screens, marking the closure of the Julián Álvarez saga—though a new chapter could potentially emerge next January with the opening of the 2027 winter transfer window.
