Barcelona have been handed a €602 fine (about $669) by the Royal Spanish Football Federation for making an illegal approach to Julián Álvarez before notifying Atlético Madrid of their interest. The Spanish champions plan to appeal the decision, according to a source.
The club had been trying to sign the Argentine forward during the summer as it looked for a new striker to replace outgoing Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres. Atlético accused Barça of contacting Álvarez’s agent, Fernando Hidalgo, ahead of the club, and reported the incident to both the RFEF and FIFA. FIFA ruled it had no jurisdiction, while the RFEF found that Barça’s sporting director Deco spoke with Hidalgo on 15 May, with the first written communication to Atlético only arriving on 28 May. The federation deemed the breach a minor regulatory violation under Article 133 of its Disciplinary Code, rather than the more severe Article 93, and imposed a small fine.
Barça had reportedly offered €100 million for the forward, keeping the offer open until the end of the transfer window, but Atlético CEO Miguel Ángel Gil Marín refused to sell to a LaLiga rival. Atlético also rejected a €150 million bid from Real Madrid for the player, while Arsenal and Paris Saint‑Germain also expressed interest. Álvarez himself said during the World Cup that a move would be best for all parties and that he wanted to join Barça, a statement that earned him boos from Atlético supporters at the start of the season. He has since apologized to the club’s fans for his comments.
Atlético have won eight of their first ten LaLiga matches and sit second in the table, just two points behind Barcelona. The two teams will face each other for the first time since the Metropolitano incident on 8 November, a meeting that will carry extra tension given the recent transfer dispute.