Sergio Aguero believes Julian Alvarez can resolve his differences with Atletico Madrid, claiming "things can be sorted out with a chat".
Alvarez's future has been the subject of fierce speculation in recent weeks, fuelled by the player himself.
He told Atletico that he wishes to leave, and in a post-match interview at the World Cup, he hinted at a possible move to Barcelona by saying he wanted to “fulfil his dream”.
Atletico have staunchly rebuffed any interest in their star striker, who has a €500m release clause, with Real Madrid previously confirming they had seen an offer turned down.
Aguero, who played for Atletico between 2006 and 2011, had a similar situation just before he left for Manchester City, having expressed a desire to play for Real Madrid.
That move did not transpire, and Aguero noted there is still a way for Alvarez to fix things in the Spanish capital.
"Julian Alvarez was very honest, and perhaps that upsets people – it happened to me at Atleti," Aguero told Onda Cero, as quoted by AS.
"Of course, I think he can stay at Atleti; things can be sorted out with a chat, but we also have to see how he's feeling.
"You're not going to have a player looking glum and in a bad mood all year round. If he's not comfortable, the club has to help him.
"To me, that's how it works. When a player isn't happy, each club takes the stance it wants to take, and the player ends up losing out."
Alvarez contributed to 29 goals (20 goals, nine assists) in 49 games for Atletico in 2025-26 (not including the Club World Cup), the fifth-most among LaLiga players.
Since his debut for Los Colchoneros on 19 August 2024, Alvarez has scored the most goals (49), had the most shots (238) and registered the joint-most assists (17) among Atleti players.
Atletico club officials, and Diego Simeone, remain adamant that Alvarez is key to their project going forward and have no intention of letting him leave.