The story of Julián Álvarez and his failed transfer to FC Barcelona

Talking about Julián Álvarez refers to one of the best forwards of the moment. The Argentine has shown not only a goal-scoring ability and top-level technique, but he also seems to be a kind of talisman: team he joins, team that ends up winning some trophy. At just 25 years old, he already boasts a truly enviable trophy cabinet, which even includes several titles with his national team.

In the 2024-25 season, he has become one of the cornerstones of the offensive front of Atlético de Madrid. The forward from Calchín has scored 23 goals and provided five assists in 45 matches, demonstrating that he did not need any adaptation period to fit into the 'colchonero' team. Anecdotally, in the lead-up to the match between FC Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid for the 'semis' of the Copa del Rey 2024-25, it is worth recalling the story that almost led 'the Spider' to wear the jersey of the culé team, but which ultimately ended up frustrating unexpectedly.

The one who tells this story is the renowned (and currently retired) player agent, Josep María Minguella, who revealed to Relevo that he warned FC Barcelona about the potential of Julián Álvarez as the perfect replacement for Luis Suárez. "His agent told us he had a clause of 22-23 million. He also mentioned that the boy would be delighted to come to Europe. It was then that I called Barça because the club needed a '9' to replace Suárez and I told them that this boy had the characteristics," he recalled.

"His agent told us he had a clause of 22-23 million. He also mentioned that the boy would be delighted to come to Europe"

Minguella, who heard about Julián Álvarez when he was just 21 years old and was described as a player with "very good potential, grit, and shot", was impressed when he saw him play. However, after informing Barcelona about his existence, the proposal was not highly valued by Mateu Alemany, who at that time was serving as the football director of FC Barcelona. According to Josep María, the reason behind this decision was clear: "They told me they had another option".

What was that "other option" that Barcelona was considering?

That other option was Ferran Torres, a forward who at that time was playing for Manchester City and for whom Barcelona ended up paying around 55 million euros, more than double what it would have cost to sign Julián Álvarez. Paradoxically, this move indirectly affected the Argentine, as in that same transfer window (2021-22) in which the azulgrana team bet on the Valencian forward, the 'citizen' team acquired 'the Spider', paying 21.4 M€ to River Plate.

Thus, FC Barcelona let Julián Álvarez slip away, who was even linked again with the club in the past summer market, when Manchester City put him on the sales block. However, the delicate economic situation of the Barcelona team prevented any attempt to add him to their squad, while Atlético de Madrid did bet on him, paying 75 M€ for his transfer. An extremely important investment that the Argentine has repaid with goals and stellar performances.