Barcelona are pressing ahead with their pursuit of Julian Alvarez and could raise their bid for the Atletico Madrid striker beyond £110m (€130m) plus bonuses once the FIFA World Cup 2026 concludes, according to sources in Spain.

Club president Joan Laporta has confirmed that Barcelona's current offer of just over £100m remains active, though no formal decision to increase it has been made. Despite that, any improved proposal from Barcelona is unlikely to find a warmer reception at Atletico Madrid, where relations between the two clubs have hit a historic low following a public row on social media.

Real Madrid's £130m bid already rejected

The fraught atmosphere between the clubs was illustrated last month when Atletico Madrid rebuffed a £130m (€150m) approach from Real Madrid for Alvarez — a figure that exceeds what Barcelona have so far tabled.

Atletico CEO Miguel Gil Marín has accused Barcelona of "disrespecting us," while Laporta believes Atletico's resistance stems from the club not yet having a replacement lined up for the Argentina forward.

"I spoke with Gil Marín. He told me they were not planning to let him go, but the offer is firm and we stand by it," Laporta said. "It remains on the table and the deal could still go through, but the offer is not open-ended. Atletico said no because they didn't have a replacement. If they get one, we will see."

Alvarez's preference complicates Arsenal and PSG interest

Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain have both registered an interest in Alvarez, but face a significant personal obstacle: the player and his family are understood to have no desire to relocate to England or France, preferring to remain in Spain.

Sky Sports News has reported that signing for Barcelona represents Alvarez's personal ambition, and that his family are settled in Spain — a factor that privately leads Atletico Madrid to be more receptive to the idea of selling him to Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain should he force a departure from the Metropolitano, rather than allowing a direct move to their domestic rivals.

Alvarez is scheduled to take a holiday following Argentina's FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign before returning for pre-season with Atletico Madrid, at which point talks with the club's hierarchy over his future are expected to take place.

As things stand, Alvarez appears most likely to remain at Atletico Madrid unless either the club abandon their refusal to sell to Barcelona, or the player and his family reconsider their reluctance to move abroad.