Rodri opens the door for Julian Alvarez in his first press conference as a Barcelona player

Rodri faced the media for the first time as a Barcelona player after signing a contract with the club through June 30, 2030, and one of the first topics that came up wasn’t about his own arrival, but about a possible future teammate.

The Spanish midfielder was asked whether Barcelona should pursue Julian Alvarez, the Argentine forward he played alongside for two seasons at Manchester City. The Argentine forward wasn’t called up for Atletico Madrid’s LaLiga opener, amid an increasingly tense relationship between both parties.

Rodri didn’t shy away from praising his former teammate, though he was careful about how far he took it. “I’m quite cautious when it comes to players who don’t belong to the club. He’s an Atletico Madrid player, I respect Atletico Madrid, but it’s clear that Julian is a fantastic footballer, and he could bring what he is to any team in the world, one of the best forwards,” he said.

He then pulled back from suggesting Barcelona were actively working on a deal, keeping the door open without confirming anything concrete. “That’s all I can say. I’m happy with the players we have, and Deco and the board are always thinking about improving the squad,” Rodri added, echoing the same cautious tone the club has generally kept around the Alvarez situation in public.

The situation between Barcelona and Alvarez

Barcelona have wanted Alvarez for a while now, and the interest hasn’t cooled despite the lack of a breakthrough. The Argentine himself appears open to the move, having already made clear his desire to join, but Atletico Madrid have remained firm, insisting they won’t let him leave for anything less than his €500 million release clause.

That figure has effectively frozen any real progress on the transfer, with neither side budging from their respective positions. Barcelona, for their part, haven’t backed off the pursuit either, continuing to monitor the situation closely, as they believe the player’s own willingness to join could still be enough to break the deadlock.

Still, Barcelona are aware it won’t be easy to pry the Argentine away from Atletico Madrid, which is why reports indicate the club is also weighing other options at forward, like Sporting’s Luis Suarez, in case a deal for Alvarez ultimately doesn’t materialize.