BREAKING NEWS: Julián Álvarez’s failed FC Barcelona transfer: The story behind one of the biggest missed opportunities in recent football history! The full story of why Barcelona missed out on signing the Argentine star, and how it affected their future.
In a tale of missed chances and what-ifs, FC Barcelona’s failure to sign Julián Álvarez in 2022 has come back to haunt the club, with the Argentine forward now thriving at Atlético Madrid.
Julián Álvarez, at just 25 years old, has already established himself as one of the best forwards in Europe. His goal-scoring prowess has been a key asset for Atlético Madrid in the 2024-25 season, where he has netted 23 goals and provided 5 assists in 45 appearances. However, before his stellar rise in Madrid, Álvarez was a player that almost became a Barça star.
According to former football agent Josep María Minguella, Barcelona was made aware of Álvarez’s potential as a replacement for Luis Suárez in 2021. Minguella, after being impressed by Álvarez’s abilities, informed the club about a clause in his contract that would allow the forward to join for just 22-23 million euros. His agent had also mentioned that Álvarez would be thrilled to come to Europe.
However, Barcelona’s sporting director at the time, Mateu Alemany, dismissed the proposal, stating that the club had another option in mind. That option was Ferran Torres, who had recently played for Manchester City. Barcelona ended up spending around 55 million euros on Torres, more than double what they would have paid for Álvarez.
Ironically, in the same transfer window, Manchester City swooped in to sign Álvarez from River Plate for just 21.4 million euros. This move by City eventually led to the Argentine’s rise in prominence, while Barça’s decision to sign Torres instead became a costly mistake.
Fast forward to the summer of 2022, and Barcelona had another chance to sign Álvarez when City placed him on the transfer market. However, due to the club’s financial difficulties, Barcelona couldn’t pursue the move, while Atlético Madrid seized the opportunity and paid a hefty 75 million euros for Álvarez’s signature. The rest, as they say, is history—Álvarez has since repaid Atlético’s faith in him with sensational performances.
Now, as Barça faces off against Atlético Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-finals, the missed opportunity to sign Álvarez serves as a painful reminder of the club’s past transfer decisions. Will Barça regret this missed chance for years to come? Only time will tell.
