Barcelona has given Argentine striker Julián Álvarez until the end of July to convince Atlético Madrid to accept the Catalan club's €100 million offer.

This coincides with the enthusiastic atmosphere in the VIP box at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey after Spain defeated Argentina in the 2026 World Cup final.

According to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, the VIP box at the World Cup final saw Barcelona president Joan Laporta alongside Deco and Alejandro Echevarría near the club's legends, while Emilio Butragueño represented Real Madrid as the highest representative of the royal club and hugged all the Barça icons.

The Catalan delegation returning to Barcelona directly observed how Julián Álvarez fell victim to the conservative tactical approach of Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, a pattern that often repeats with him at Atlético Madrid under Diego Simeone.

The Spanish newspaper noted that the days of deciding Julián Álvarez's future are coming, after Laporta publicly confirmed a deadline until end of July for the €100 million financial offer.

It revealed that Barcelona's management decided to give the Argentine national team striker time to recover from the shock of losing the World Cup final, as the management trusts that Álvarez will not sit idle to achieve his dream of playing at Spotify Camp Nou alongside eight world champions.

It clarified that Álvarez had received a promise from Miguel Ángel Gil Marín, CEO of Atlético, last February to allow him to leave if a strong financial offer arrived.

The player currently does not understand the reason for Atlético Madrid's stubborn stance and tightening of conditions just two days before the final, which will push Álvarez to take actual action to fulfill his desire.