“A player as intelligent as Julian, with the journey he has had since leaving River, passing through Manchester City, Atlético, and also with the national team, would arrive and adapt because he would know how to fulfill his role.” This sentiment, expressed by Luis Suarez, echoes earlier comments from Barcelona midfielder Pedri, who had also rolled out the red carpet for Julian Alvarez regarding his potential transfer to FC Barcelona. The Argentine international reportedly used his participation in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with the Albiceleste as an opportunity to convey his desire to depart Atletico de Madrid, aiming to fulfill his “dream” of joining FC Barcelona.

“it’s going to be difficult to leave”

“He is a player who works a lot. At Barcelona, he will have wingers by his side who will create many opportunities for him. He has good passing play, good movements. He will integrate immediately into Barça. But there is the other aspect. He plays for a big club like Atlético. It’s going to be difficult to leave. These coming weeks are going to be exciting,” continued the former FC Barcelona striker, who enjoyed a stellar period with the Blaugrana institution between 2014 and 2020. While Barcelona may have the player’s clear preference, they certainly do not have the immediate approval of Atletico de Madrid, who intend to resist his departure throughout the summer until the transfer window closes on September 1, 2026.

“stay. next year, you’ll go wherever you want: to barcelona, real madrid, bayern”

PSG, who have also shown interest in Julian Alvarez for the past two years, may find themselves missing out this time around. However, it could simply be a delay. Reflecting on his own experience, Luis Suarez recounted being held at Liverpool in 2013 before eventually moving to FC Barcelona a year later.

“These are situations that you create at a given moment. I myself lived through this at Liverpool. In 2013, I forced my departure because I wanted to join Arsenal. I had a dispute with the club because we hadn’t qualified for the Champions League, and I felt I needed to take a new step. I remember the captain, Gerrard, took me aside and said: ‘Stay. Next year, you’ll go wherever you want: to Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern… But this year, please, stay. You can’t leave for Arsenal.’ And he convinced me. And in this specific case, the same thing could happen to Julián: that Cholo (Simeone) takes him aside and says: ‘This year, I want you to stay with us.’ For me, it was a Liverpool legend, the captain, who convinced me. I listened to reason, then I went out to apologize, and it ended up being my best season at the club. Fans, even if you’ve done everything to force a departure, if you then go onto the field and they see that you’re giving your all, working hard, and defending the club, they end up applauding you.”