Atletico Madrid report Barcelona to Spanish FA for pursuit of Julian Alvarez

Atletico Madrid have reported Barcelona to the Spanish football federation (RFEF) over their perceived improper pursuit of Julian Alvarez.

The complaint relates to an alleged breach of ethics between the clubs, and Barcelona are set to lodge an appeal.

Alvarez is under contract with Atletico until 2030 but has been the focus of multiple disputes between La Liga sides this summer, having told reporters during the World Cup that he wanted to seek a transfer away from the Metropolitano.

The Athletic reported in May that Barcelona were in talks with Atletico over a potential deal for the 26-year-old forward, and were preparing a formal offer of around €100million ($116m; £87m) for him.

Atletico went public with their transfer row with Barcelona the following day with a series of fake transfer posts on social media, accompanied by the caption: “Don’t believe everything you see, especially if it’s related to Barca.”

Alvarez had been Barcelona’s No 1 transfer target and the Catalans had been expected to return with another offer.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, said in an official statement that they had seen a €150m (£129.3m; $171.4m) bid for the Argentina international rejected. Atletico acknowledged the bid in a statement of their own, and club sources with knowledge of the bid, speaking anonymously as they were not authorised to do so publicly, said at the time they did not feel like the offer from Madrid was genuine.

The forward joined Atletico from Manchester City in the summer of 2024 for a fee of up to €95m and has made 106 appearances for the Spanish side, scoring 49 times. Last season he registered 20 goals in 49 appearances as they finished fourth in the league, qualifying for the Champions League.

Alvarez appeared in every game of Argentina’s World Cup campaign, scoring once against Switzerland in the quarter-final.

The Athletic has approached the RFEF for comment.