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Julián Álvarez · Atlético Madrid · Fernando Hidalgo · Barcelona

Report: Julián Álvarez cuts the agent behind his Barça summer, and Atlético should worry

By the Data Desk · ·

First reported by Rubén Uría (Club Uría), via Estoesatleti · 8 OCT 16:12

Julián Álvarez has played 83 minutes of LaLiga football this season, all off the bench, and on Thursday the journalist Rubén Uría reported that he has ended his relationship with Fernando Hidalgo, the agent Atlético blamed for his summer push towards Barcelona. According to Uría, the Argentine "prescinde de los servicios de Hidalgo y pronto tendrá nuevo agente" (is dispensing with Hidalgo's services and will soon have a new agent).

  • Uría posted it on Thursday afternoon; Mundo Deportivo, beIN and others followed. Nobody involved has confirmed it.
  • Álvarez has no league start and no goal in 2026-27: three LaLiga appearances, 83 minutes (LaLiga data).
  • His contract runs to June 2030, with a release clause reported at €500m.
Why it mattersAtlético refused to sell their best forward to Barcelona and blamed the people around him. If the agent is gone, the club gets the calm it wanted, but the player also gets someone new to plan his next move.

The summer left marks on all sides. On 27 August Atlético's chief executive Miguel Ángel Gil Marín told Movistar that Álvarez was "realmente mal, porque ha habido personas que se han encargado de engañarle y confundirle" (in a bad way, because some people made it their job to deceive and confuse him), and that a sale would never be to Barcelona. Hidalgo had already answered an earlier jab on social media: "Nunca le preguntes a un mentiroso por qué mintió" (never ask a liar why he lied).

Barcelona made an offer, reported at around €100m, and Atlético said no. Deco closed the case in late September: "La historia con Julián Álvarez es pasado" (the Julián Álvarez story is in the past), Barça's sporting director said in Portugal.

Behind the scenes, the change has been building for weeks. In mid-September Onda Cero's Gonzalo Palafox reported that there had already been contacts with The Elegant Game, Javier Pastore's agency, which also represents Enzo Fernández. Neither the agency, the player nor Hidalgo has commented.

On the pitch, Diego Simeone has managed without him. Atlético are second in LaLiga on 16 points, five behind Barcelona, and play at Alavés on Saturday at 16:15 Madrid time (15:15 UK). Álvarez, signed from Manchester City in August 2024 for a reported €75m plus add-ons, is still waiting for his first league start of the season.

Our take

A new agent means a new exit plan

If the report is right, our editorial team reads it as the start of Álvarez's next move, not a peace deal with Atlético. Players change agents when they want a different outcome, and with 83 minutes in the league and no start, the current outcome is not working for him. In the short term Atlético get quiet; we expect the real test next summer, when a new agent will look for a buyer the club can live with. If Simeone starts him on Saturday and he plays regularly until Christmas, we will revisit this view.

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Updates

  1. Confirmed Confirmed, Saturday 10 October: Atlético's sporting director Mateu Alemany spoke about the split before the game at Alavés. “Respetamos la parte privada del jugador. Es una decisión que si la ha tomado Julián es porque cree que es beneficiosa para su carrera”, he said (we respect the player's private side; if Julián has taken that decision it is because he thinks it is good for his career), adding “No sabemos quién será su nuevo agente” (we do not know who his new agent will be), Estoesatleti reported. Neither the player nor Hidalgo has commented and no new agent has been named. On the pitch, Álvarez came off the bench again in the 2-1 win at Alavés and is still without a league start or goal (Clarín).
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