Atletico Madrid take a cheeky dig at Barcelona: Here's why
What's the story
Atletico Madrid have taken a cheeky dig at FC Barcelona over their pursuit of striker Julian Alvarez. The Spanish club mocked their La Liga rivals by making a fake transfer offer for young star Lamine Yamal. The proposal included four tickets to tomorrow's Bad Bunny concert, an annual subscription to ABC, and a bag of sunflower seeds. Here are further details.
Viral impact
Atletico Madrid make similar offers for Pedri and Raphinha
Atletico Madrid's social media posts, which included AI-generated images of other players in their shirt, quickly went viral. The club also made similar 'offers' for Spain midfielder Pedri and Brazil winger Raphinha. The post about Pedri offered six tickets for Sunday's concert at the club's Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium, while the one for Raphinha proposed a season-long loan exchange with Tom Ford and Smith (players mentioned by Atletico president Enrique Cerezo earlier this year).
Serious undertone
Atletico Madrid warn fans about potential manipulation of reality
Along with the humorous posts, Atletico Madrid also added a serious note. They warned fans about the potential manipulation of reality in today's digital age, especially when it comes to FC Barcelona. The club also addressed a smear campaign against one of their players in recent months, accusing Barcelona of leaking information with ulterior motives and inventing little stories before direct match-ups.
Transfer tussle
FC Barcelona reportedly made €100 million bid for Alvarez
Despite reports of FC Barcelona's €100 million bid for Julian Alvarez, Atletico Madrid have denied receiving any such offer. The club seems determined to keep the Argentine forward at the Metropolitano and not let transfer rumors gain traction among fans. This comes amid speculation that Alvarez is keen on leaving Atletico Madrid for a new challenge elsewhere.
Deal
'Barcelona are prepared to return to the table soon'
As per Fabrizio Romano, Atletico are not intentioned to accept €100m as valuation to let Alvarez go. Barcelona are prepared to return to the table soon as they want to add the striker to their roster. Alvarez and his team have already made clear to Atletico that he wants to leave. Meanwhile, Barcelona had sent their first official proposal to Atletico for Alvarez worth €100m.
Twitter Post
Post!
And remember, it took us just five minutes to create this fake post. pic.twitter.com/zeMEAThm5V
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) May 29, 2026
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Lastly, we would like to take this opportunity to categorically deny that we have made an offer to the sporting director of FC Barcelona to join our scouting team in the Brazilian market.
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) May 29, 2026