Atlético Madrid Accuses Barcelona of Smear Campaign Over Julián Álvarez
Atlético Madrid have gone on the offensive, publicly accusing Barcelona of orchestrating a “smear campaign” and spreading “fake news” around their attempts to prise Julián Álvarez out of the capital.
Barcelona, fresh from sealing a £69m move for Antony Gordon, have been heavily linked with a big-money bid for the Argentine striker. The noise around Álvarez has grown louder by the day. Atlético’s response has been to turn up the volume themselves.
Atlético draw a line in the sand
Inside the Metropolitano, the message is blunt: Álvarez is not for sale. The 26-year-old, who has hit 20 goals in 49 games in all competitions this season, is seen as central to their plans and valued at up to £130m.
So when social media began to swirl with talk of an imminent Barcelona offer, Atlético chose ridicule over silence.
Their official accounts fired out a series of parody posts, dressing Barcelona stars Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Raphinha in Atlético shirts. Each came with deliberately absurd “bids” attached, skewering the transfer rumour mill and, pointedly, those fuelling it.
For Yamal, the supposed offer was not a nine-figure fee, but Bad Bunny concert tickets, an annual subscription and a bag of sunflower seeds. It was theatre, but it carried a sharp edge.
Alongside an image of Raphinha in red and white, Atlético added a warning shot: “Don’t believe everything you see, especially if it’s related to Barca.”
The joke landed, but the tone soon hardened.
From parody to pointed accusation
In a further post, Atlético took aim at Barcelona’s hierarchy, denying with heavy irony that they had tried to recruit Barça sporting director Deco for their Brazilian scouting network.
“Finally, we want to take this opportunity to categorically deny that we have made an offer to the sporting director of FC Barcelona to join our scouting team in the Brazilian market,” the club wrote, before twisting the knife.
“No, Atlético de Madrid would never do something like that. However, in recent months, we’ve been suffering a smear campaign against one of our players.
“Leaked information with ulterior motives, ‘fake news,’ constant disrespect, the culé version of the propaganda machine inventing little stories, calls before direct matchups.”
The language left little room for interpretation. Atlético believe the stories around Álvarez are not just idle gossip, but part of a deliberate attempt to unsettle their forward and disturb the balance before key games.
Barcelona, contacted about the accusations and the transfer links, declined to comment. The Spanish FA has also been approached for a response.
A battle before the window even opens
The summer window does not officially open until June 15 and will run to September 1, but the sparring has already started. Barcelona, still reshaping their squad and chasing elite attacking talent, have turned their attention to big-ticket names. Atlético, determined not to be picked apart, are drawing public red lines.
Álvarez, with his 20-goal return and prime age profile, sits right at the centre of that tug of war. For now, Atlético insist he is going nowhere. The question is whether that stance holds once the market opens and real bids, not parody ones, start to land.
