Atletico Madrid publicly mocked city rivals Real Madrid after rejecting a club-record €150 million bid for Julian Alvarez, the striker identified as Florentino Perez’s marquee transfer target following his re-election as club president.
Real Madrid confirmed the approach in an official statement on Tuesday, revealing that the Spanish giants had submitted a formal offer for the Argentina international. The bid, which would have been the most expensive transfer in the club’s history, was swiftly turned down by Atletico.
The proposal came just days after Perez secured another term as Real Madrid president. During his election campaign, the 79-year-old had promised supporters a major signing and hinted that the club would submit a massive offer for a player from a leading Champions League side.
Real Madrid said Atletico had rejected the bid and pointed to Alvarez’s release clause.
“Following the meeting of the Board of Directors held today, Real Madrid C.F. has made an offer of 150 million euros to Club Atletico de Madrid for the federative rights of the player Julian Alvarez. After reviewing and evaluating the offer, Club Atletico de Madrid has expressed its gratitude for the proposal, made within the framework of the good relations between both clubs, and has rejected it, referring to the player’s release clause,” the club said in a statement.
ATLETICO MOCK REAL
However, Atletico’s response quickly moved beyond a formal rejection.
The club reposted Real Madrid’s statement on social media alongside a series of laughing emojis before issuing a strongly-worded response aimed at their city rivals.
“You must have confused education with gratitude, but to leave no doubt: we don’t thank you for anything. We neither study nor consider any offer for Julian. How could we not get along, when you make us laugh even more than Barcelona does,” Atletico posted.
The exchange escalated further when Atletico followed up with another message referencing Real Madrid’s recruitment of youth players from their academy.
“P.S. Taking advantage of the good relationship with your new president, let’s see if you stop ‘stealing’ players from our Academy. Thanks a lot, @realmadrid!”
The rejection is a significant setback for Perez, who had pledged to bring in a high-profile signing after winning Sunday’s presidential election. Speaking before the vote, Perez had hinted at an imminent move.
“On Tuesday or so, I’m going to make an offer to a major Champions League club for a great player. It would be the largest transfer fee Real Madrid has ever paid in its history,” Perez said on Spanish television programme Horizonte.
Alvarez has emerged as one of Atletico’s most important players since joining from Manchester City in 2024. The Argentine forward enjoyed a prolific first full season under Diego Simeone, scoring 20 goals in 49 appearances across all competitions and playing a key role in Atletico’s run to the Champions League semi-finals.
Reports in Spain suggest Alvarez’s contract contains a €500 million release clause, a figure Atletico appear determined to enforce despite growing interest from Europe’s biggest clubs. Barcelona were also reported to have seen a bid rejected for the 26-year-old last week.
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