Julian Alvarez latest star to push for Barcelona move

Julian Alvarez could become the latest high-profile player to put pressure on his club in pursuit of a move to Barcelona, as tensions continue between the Argentina striker and Atletico de Madrid.

Alvarez said after Argentina’s World Cup match against Austria: “The best thing for everyone is to make the move, I want to fulfil my dream.”

His comments came amid continued disagreement with Atletico, with the player reportedly keen to leave and join Barcelona. If the transfer goes ahead, he would follow a long line of players who have taken a confrontational approach to securing a move to the Catalan club.

Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo has highlighted several previous examples of footballers who pressured their clubs or took more direct action before eventually arriving at Camp Nou.

One of the most notable cases involved Ousmane Dembele. The French winger’s attempt to leave Borussia Dortmund escalated to the point where he missed training. Peter Bosz, who was Dortmund’s manager at the time, said the club had been unable to contact the player and described him as “missing”.

Dembele eventually completed a high-value transfer to Barcelona after making clear that he wanted to leave the German club.

Antoine Griezmann adopted a similar approach in the summer of 2019. The forward did not report for Atletico de Madrid’s pre-season training as he sought to force a move.

Barcelona ultimately secured his signature by paying the €120m release clause in his contract.

Philippe Coutinho also formally requested a transfer after Liverpool had publicly insisted that he would remain at the club. Liverpool initially rejected his request, but the player’s position eventually led the English club to approve his move to Barcelona in January 2018.

The transfer was completed for €135m.

The list also includes Javier Mascherano, who put pressure on Liverpool before moving to Barcelona, and Cesc Fabregas, who trained on his own at Arsenal while protesting against the failure to resolve his proposed departure.

Samuel Eto’o’s route to Barcelona featured a public dispute with Real Madrid. The Cameroon striker openly pushed for the move and went as far as publishing a statement declaring his desire to wear Barcelona’s shirt.

Each case developed differently, but the common thread was a player seeking to accelerate a move to the club. Some stayed away from training, others submitted formal transfer requests, while Eto’o made his wishes public.

Alvarez now appears set to become the newest name associated with that pattern. His comments have added to the uncertainty surrounding his future at Atletico de Madrid and increased speculation that he could attempt to secure a move to Barcelona.

If an agreement is reached, the Argentina international would join a group of prominent players who used pressure, public statements or decisive action to fulfil their ambition of playing for the Catalan side.