Atletico Madrid promises to lower Julian Alvarez’s release clause if he scores 20 goals

Atletico Madrid president Miguel Ángel Gil Marín has done something the club spent an entire summer refusing to do: blink. The club chief has promised to lower Julián Álvarez’s mammoth €500 million release clause, but only if the Argentine forward hits at least 20 goals across all competitions in the 2026-27 season. It’s the first crack in what had been an impenetrable wall of “he’s not for sale” energy from the Spanish club, and it arrives after a transfer window that saw Atletico reject bids from Barcelona (roughly €100 million) and Real Madrid (€150 million) without so much as a counter-offer. The deal behind the deal The 20-goal target is not exactly a moonshot for Álvarez. He put away 29 goals in his debut campaign at the Wanda Metropolitano during the 2024-25 season. The following year, 2025-26, he scored exactly 20 while adding nine assists. Álvarez, who joined from Manchester City in August 2024 for a fee of up to €95 million, is under contract until June 2030. Reports throughout the summer suggested the player was open to exploring his options. By dangling the prospect of a reduced clause, Gil Marín gives Álvarez a tangible reason to stay focused and productive this season...