Yamal: Barcelona would welcome Alvarez with open arms

Lamine Yamal would welcome Julian Alvarez to Barcelona with "open arms" as speculation continues to swirl over the Argentine's Atletico Madrid future.

The second half of the 2025-26 season saw a lot of questions asked about Alvarez and where he would be next term, with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Arsenal all linked with him.

Los Blancos confirmed they had seen a €150m bid for Alvarez rejected, with his release clause apparently set at €500m.

However, following Argentina's win over Austria at the World Cup, Alvarez told reporters he thought "the best thing for everyone involved [at Atletico] is for me to leave" and that he wanted to "fulfil my dream".

Reports suggest that dream is a move to Barcelona, and Yamal would be thrilled with the chance to play alongside the striker.

"I'm not thinking about it too much, but I'd love it, because [Alvarez] is a great player," Yamal told Cadena SER in an interview broadcast on Tuesday.

"If he comes, we'll welcome him with open arms... If I were him, I'd do it.

"We'll be waiting for him if he wants to come. [I say] go for it."

Since his debut on 19 August 2024, Alvarez has scored more goals (49), had more shots (238) and registered the joint-most assists (17) among Atletico players.

The 26-year-old directly contributed to 29 goals (20 goals, nine assists) in 49 games for Atleti in 2025-26 (not including the Club World Cup), the fifth-most among LaLiga players.

Atletico have responded angrily to Alvarez's claims, with CEO Miguel Angel Gil Martin insisting the club do not want to sell him, especially to Barcelona.