Barcelona Faces RFEF Probe Over Julián Álvarez Pursuit
The tug-of-war over Julián Álvarez has moved from the boardroom to the disciplinary desks of Spanish football.
According to SPORT, FC Barcelona have now been formally notified that Atlético Madrid’s complaint over their pursuit of the Argentine striker has triggered an official case at the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). A disciplinary file is open, and the Catalan club has been handed a deadline to present its defence.
A transfer saga enters the courtroom
At the heart of Atlético’s complaint is a serious accusation: that Barcelona held talks with Álvarez while he remains under contract at the Metropolitano until 2030.
The RFEF’s notification confirms that the matter has gone beyond background noise and media speculation. It is now a formal proceeding, with Barça required to submit written arguments within the next few days.
Inside the club, the response machine is already running. Barcelona’s legal department is poring over the complaint, preparing a detailed defence of the club’s conduct and the steps taken in their pursuit of the forward. The expectation at the Camp Nou is calm rather than panic. Senior figures are said to be confident that the case will not result in heavy sanctions.
Barça’s stance: “We did nothing wrong”
Barcelona’s leadership consider Atlético’s case flimsy. From their side, the sequence is clear.
Álvarez publicly spoke about his desire to leave Atlético and described playing for Barcelona as a dream. Those comments, in the Catalans’ eyes, changed the landscape. Shortly after, Barça submitted a formal bid in the region of €100 million for the striker, a move they argue shows transparency rather than any attempt to work in the shadows.
For Barcelona, that chain of events is central to their argument: this was a high-profile, open chase for a player who had already made his intentions clear, not an illicit approach behind his club’s back.
Deco unmoved: Álvarez remains the No. 1 target
While the lawyers trade documents, the sporting plan has not shifted.
Sporting director Deco still has Álvarez at the top of his list to spearhead Hansi Flick’s attack. Inside the sporting department, the Argentine is viewed as the ideal profile to lead the forward line, and the ongoing dispute with Atlético has not changed that priority.
The problem is simple and stubborn. Atlético Madrid have repeated, publicly and privately, that they have no intention of negotiating with Barcelona over Álvarez. The stance is hardline, the message consistent.
Barcelona’s current offer, worth around €100 million, is not expected to stay on the table indefinitely. Its expiry looms, turning the next few days into a potentially decisive stretch: either a late twist breaks the deadlock, or the proposal dies and with it, perhaps, Barça’s best shot at landing their chosen No. 9 this summer.
Clock ticking towards 10 August
While the clubs wrestle over legal arguments and transfer positions, Álvarez’s immediate reality is far more straightforward. He is due to report back for Atlético Madrid’s pre-season on 10 August, unless the market explodes into life before then.
For now, negotiations are stuck. Atlético refuse to engage. Barcelona wait, convinced of their own conduct and determined not to abandon their main target. The RFEF, meanwhile, will sift through documents and testimonies to decide whether any rules were broken in the chase.
What began as a standard summer pursuit has become one of the window’s defining sagas: a €100 million striker, two rival clubs entrenched in their positions, and a governing body now asked to judge where the line was crossed—if it was crossed at all.
