Atletico Madrid prank Barcelona with Yamal joke after €100m bid for Alvarez

Atletico Madrid have launched a rare social media attack on Barcelona as tensions over Julian Alvarez’s future spread to the public.

The Madrid club have used a series of satirical posts to mock reports linking the Argentine forward with a move to the Catalan giants, while also accusing their rivals of carrying out a “campaign of mockery” against one of their players.

According to reports, Barcelona have opened talks over a deal for Alvarez and are willing to submit an offer worth €90m (£77.9m), although Atletico are expected to reject any approach.

Atletico made a joke about signing Yamal

In response to the speculation, Atletico have sent a tongue-in-cheek offer to Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal.

The group says it sent a proposal that included four tickets to a Bad Bunny concert, an annual newspaper subscription and a bag of sunflower seeds in exchange for the Spaniard.

The post was accompanied by a mock transfer announcement and formed part of a series of sarcastic messages aimed at Barcelona.

Atletico also teased offers for Pedri and Raphinha, including a proposal involving six concert tickets and a previous combination of club president Enrique Cerezo when he named legendary players “Tom Ford” and “Smith”.

Social media posts attract a lot of attention

The dozens of messages were published in just over an hour and quickly went viral online, reportedly from more than 55 million feeds on X.

While the original post was light-hearted in tone, Atletico later took a more serious stance as they addressed the ongoing speculation surrounding Alvarez.

The club has warned fans about misinformation online, saying the truth can be easily manipulated and urging fans not to believe everything they read about Barcelona.

Atletico accuse Barcelona of disrespect

In the following statement, Atlético said it had been slandered for months by one of its players.

The club alleged that the leaks, fabricated stories and attempts to embroil players were part of a concerted effort to influence public opinion during the transfer saga.

Atletico also addressed Barcelona’s long-running legal issues surrounding former Spanish referees committee vice-president Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, as well as the club’s well-documented player registration issues.

Barcelona have consistently denied wrongdoing in Negreira’s case, and the investigation is ongoing.

Alvarez is still a key player for Atletico

Transfer speculation has centered on Alvarez, who has scored 20 goals in all competitions this season.

The Argentine joined Atletico from Manchester City in 2024 for a reported £81.5 million and has quickly become one of Diego Simeone’s most attacking players.