Barcelona keen on Atlético Madrid striker to replace Lewandowski but Enrique Cerezo has come sought to pour water on the links
With rumours intensifying about the future of star striker Julián Álvarez, Atlético Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has finally spoken up on the matter. The Argentine forward has been strongly linked with a move to FC Barcelona, but is under contract with Atleti until 2030 and has a release clause of 500 million euros.
Atletico and Barça face each other tonight in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium. It is understandable that Los Colchoneros are becoming tired of hearing their player being spoken about by another club, especially at this time, but Cerezo insists there has been no official contact from the Blaugrana club regarding his player.
“Julián is a player under contract with Atlético Madrid and he’s happy,” Cerezo told Egyptian channel Win win.
“No one from Barça has been in touch officially with us to sign him and that’s all there is to say on the matter.
“All we’re interested in right now is the Copa [del Rey] and getting through this tie against Barça. Nothing else.”
Álvarez a key figure in Barcelona presidential elections
While signing Álvarez may be a pipe dream for Barcelona in their current financial situation, he has emerged as a key name in the club’s presidential election campaign. With members slated to go to the urns next month, several candidates have made noises about signing the Argentine international.
All of the candidates up for election have promised big signings in the forward department and MARCA has reported that at least one has already made contact with Álvarez’s camp to sound out his openness to a summer move.
While said candidate is unnamed, reports have suggested the incumbent Joan Laporta is a big admirer of the 26-year-old who has struggled in Madrid this season and is said to be open to move to Catalonia.
🏆 Atlético Madrid host Barcelona on Thursday in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg.
Preview, form, head-to-head, team news, predicted line-ups and broadcast details 👇https://t.co/CmMSQJyDJh #FCBlive #Atleti #CopaDelRey
— BBSportNews (@thebbsportnews) February 12, 2026
Premier League competition for Álvarez
Álvarez joined Atleti in the summer of 2024 from Manchester City in a deal worth up to 95 million euros and went on to score 29 goals in all competitions in his first season. However, this campaign he hasn’t hit the same heights and he has been linked with a change of scene this summer.
The Argentina international’s stock is still high and if he were to move on at the end of the season, Barcelona could be priced out by interest from the Premier League. ESPN Argentina have reported that Chelsea have already made contact with the player’s agents and Atlético.
Arsenal have also been heavily linked with the former Manchester City striker, but their city rivals could be stealing a march on them. What’s certain is that Los Colchoneros would be looking to at least make their money back on Álvarez.