Barcelona have made their first official bid for Julian Alvarez. In response, Atletico Madrid have issued an unprecedented, open attack on X. Using their official X accounts, Atletico accused Barcelona of having "enormous ethical shortcomings," thereby completely destroying the relationship between the boards.
Reports first emerged on social media claiming Ateltico made a series of jokes, sending mock counter-offers for Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Raphinha. They quickly followed with an intensely harsh statement on Barcelona as an institution.
HERE WE GO! Hemos enviado un fax al @FCBarcelona_es con nuestra oferta de traspaso: 4 entradas para el concierto de Bad Bunny de mañana, una suscripción anual al ABC y una bolsa de pipas. Esperamos ansiosos la respuesta para preparar el ‘announce’. pic.twitter.com/e0J7mPljHa
— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) May 29, 2026
The accusations of a smear campaign
Atletico claims they have been the subject of a "smear campaign" concerning Alvarez in recent months. They accuse Barcelona of using a "culer version of the propaganda machine" to fabricate stories, make selective leaks and show constant disrespect, while citing an instance of "inappropriate telephone calls just hours before playing against each other."
The typical procedure of club-to-club negotiations means that these disputes are generally settled privately. Atletico opted for a completely different strategy in addressing their discontent publicly.
No, el Atlético de Madrid nunca harÃa algo asÃ. Sin embargo, en los últimos meses venimos sufriendo una campaña de acoso y derribo sobre uno de nuestros jugadores. Filtraciones interesadas, 'fake news', faltas continuas de respeto, la versión culé de la maquinaria inventando…
— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) May 29, 2026
Attacking the institution
Their subsequent statements did not hesitate to dive into Barcelona's numerous issues. Atletico brought up the Negreira case, stating they would never "put the vice president of the refereeing committee on their payroll."
They also pointed to Laporta's questionable financial decisions, claiming Barca " used the political favor to register players," finishing the paragraph with a plea for "RESPECT and VALUES."
The insult towards Deco
Concluding the statement, they finished with an offensive and sarcastic dig aimed at Barcelona's sporting director Deco. Atletico completely denied having made any kind of offer for Deco to work in their scouting department in Brazil, mockingly targeting his heavy emphasis on sourcing players from the Brazilian league.
Now you have a situation where a large 100 million negotiation needs to take place between two fully fractured boards. Alvarez has stated his intentions clear, but it's obvious Atletico's public animosity will ensure that they make this exit as toxic as possible for Barca.
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