'Big Reversal': Real's Announced 260 Billion Won Acquisition Targets 'Rival' Alvarez... ATM Counters with 'Angry Mockery'

*This content was translated by AI.

It is a big reversal. The massive acquisition target announced by Spanish club Real Madrid, valued at 150 million euros (approximately 260 billion won), was Julian Alvarez (26), the key striker of 'rival' Atletico Madrid. However, Atletico immediately rejected the offer. They even fired back with a mocking response.

On the 10th (Korean time), Spanish outlet AS reported, "Real Madrid offered 260 billion won to acquire Alvarez, but Atletico rejected it." The report added, "Florentino Perez, who successfully secured his re-election as Real Madrid president, announced that he placed a huge sum on the table to bring in Alvarez. However, Atletico did not accept it and fired back with a smile."

Atletico emphasized that Alvarez's buyout clause stands at 500 million euros (approximately 880 billion won). By immediately rejecting Real's acquisition proposal and sending a mocking message to their rival, they made their stance clear. Even the astronomical figure of 260 billion won failed to move Atletico.

Previously, Real Madrid had drawn significant attention by announcing a massive acquisition. President Perez appeared on a Spanish broadcast and stated, "We are planning to make an acquisition offer to one player. It will be an amount corresponding to the highest transfer fee in Real's history."

President Perez also dropped hints about the target. He said, "It is not Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku (both from Manchester City), Harry Kane, or Michael Olise (both from Bayern Munich). It is not a player from the English Premier League (EPL)." He added, "We will offer at least 260 billion won."

Following this, various speculations emerged. João Neves and Vitinha, who play for French club Paris Saint-Germain, were mentioned as strong candidates. Despite President Perez directly denying it, Michael Olise's name continued to circulate. However, after numerous speculations, Real's target turned out to be Alvarez. But it did not go as planned.

Real Madrid issued an official statement saying, "We offered 260 billion won to Atletico Madrid to acquire Alvarez." The statement continued, "Atletico thanked us for the proposal made in the spirit of the good relationship between the two clubs, but they rejected it and mentioned the player's contract termination clause."

However, Atletico did not hide their displeasure. Initially, they posted only five smiling emojis on social media, mocking Real's statement. Later, they issued an official statement themselves, launching a counterattack with the words, "Our explanation regarding our neighbors' official statement."

Atletico stated, "It seems Real Madrid misunderstood gratitude as courtesy. To be clear, we do not owe anything to Real Madrid." They drew a line by adding, "We have not reviewed or evaluated any proposal regarding Alvarez."

They then mocked, "How could we not be on good terms? Real Madrid makes us laugh even more than Barcelona." They even added a strong remark: "Why don't you stop 'stealing' our academy players?"

Argentine striker Alvarez joined Atletico Madrid in 2024 after leaving Manchester City. While his playing time was limited at his former club, he quickly established himself as a key striker at Atletico. His performance has been outstanding. He is now evaluated not just as the team's ace, but as one of the top strikers in Spain's La Liga and even as a world-class player. In his first season, 2024-2025, he scored 17 goals in the league, and last season he netted 10 goals in the UEFA Champions League (UCL).

Spanish outlet AS also predicted that Alvarez's transfer is virtually impossible. The media reported, "Alvarez's buyout clause is a staggering 880 billion won. Additionally, the player himself must want to leave the team. For some clubs, this is a utopian amount." They added, "Therefore, it seems completely over for Alvarez to leave Atletico. This is especially true given that the 'eternal rival' is Real Madrid."

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*This content was translated by AI.