The well-known Spanish journalist Josep Pedrerol has dropped a major bombshell regarding the future of Argentina's Julian Alvarez.
Pedrerol revealed a message he received from inside Real Madrid, confirming the Spanish giants' confidence in their ability to complete one of the most controversial deals in Spanish football.
Speaking in remarks highlighted by the official account of the programme "El Chiringuito" on X, Pedrerol said sources inside Real Madrid told him directly: "Atletico Madrid will sell us Julian Alvarez".
The claim lands at a time when Barcelona were seen as the frontrunners to sign the Atletico Madrid striker, especially after numerous reports spoke of the player's desire to move to the Catalan club. Atletico even threatened to file a complaint with FIFA against Barcelona over alleged negotiations with the player while he was under contract with the Madrid club.
What makes it more startling is that Atletico had already rejected an official offer from Real Madrid worth 150 million euros over the past weeks. They held firm to the huge release clause in the player's contract, which stands at 500 million euros.
Over recent days, the Alvarez situation has turned into one of the hottest files in the transfer market.
One question now preoccupies Spain. Will Barcelona snatch the player many see as the perfect heir to their attacking line, or does Real Madrid already possess hidden information that will settle the deal?