Julian Alvarez's agent drops Barcelona hints amid Atletico stance

Speaking to El Chiringuito, Hidalgo praised Barcelona's footballing philosophy and refused to rule out a potential transfer, though he stressed that Atletico Madrid's position is for Alvarez to stay.

In recent weeks, Alvarez has been linked with a summer move, the arrival of Viktor Gyokeres, and even a potential switch to Barcelona. While Hidalgo acknowledged the rumours, he made it clear that the current intention is for his client to remain at Atletico.

"Obviously, Julian admires Spanish clubs, and growing up following Leo Messi's career... There aren't many Argentinians who don't feel something special for Barcelona," said Hidalgo, who also highlighted how well Alvarez would fit into Hansi Flick's system at Camp Nou.

"Even more so after the way Barcelona played this season. Julian is very grateful to many of their players — Cubarsi, for example — who have spoken well of him. That motivates him," he added.

Hidalgo admitted that approaches had been made, but Atletico's message was clear: "They told me there were many calls, but from what I've discussed with the club's directors, the club's stance is that Julian stays next season."

Still, he did not completely close the door to a future move. "Right now, he's an Atletico player and he's very happy here. We'll see how negotiations evolve — football changes quickly, and good things can happen," said Hidalgo, while also expressing "gratitude" for Barcelona's interest.

Should a formal offer from Barcelona materialise, Hidalgo confirmed it would require all parties to be involved: "If that happens, they'll need to speak with the club, who will assess the situation. From there, it would be a three-way negotiation."