Rodri Wants Julian Alvarez at Barcelona

Rodri has barely unpacked his bags in Barcelona, but he already knows exactly who he wants alongside him at Camp Nou – Julian Alvarez.

The Spain international, freshly arrived from Manchester, has been open about his admiration for his former team-mate. Asked whether he would like to see Alvarez in Blaugrana colours, Rodri did not bother with diplomacy.

“Would I sign him here? Of course,” he told Mundo Deportivo. “I think he is a sensational player. I would take him here without hesitation. I had the chance to play with him for two years, and I think he is an incredible player, truly incredible.”

Those two seasons together in the Premier League gave Rodri a close-up view of Alvarez’s full repertoire. The goals are obvious. What sticks with him is everything wrapped around them.

Alvarez built his reputation as a classic number 9, a penalty-box striker with a ruthless edge. That version of him still exists. But his game has stretched far beyond that label. Rodri made a point of underlining that evolution.

“He has almost played more often as a number 10 than as a number 9, even though he initially came from a number 9 position,” the midfielder explained. “But he has also adapted to a role where he can play as an attacking midfielder, a playmaker, and he has even played matches as a central midfielder. He is truly a spectacular player.”

That kind of tactical flexibility is exactly what top clubs crave, which is why Alvarez’s name never really left the rumour mill this summer. He was strongly linked with both Barca and Real Madrid, a tug-of-war that would have sent shockwaves through La Liga. Atletico Madrid, though, drew a clear line. Los Rojiblancos had no intention of strengthening direct domestic rivals with one of their most prized assets.

The interest did not stop there. Arsenal also circled, exploring the idea of bringing the Argentina international back to the Premier League. Alvarez, according to reports, had little appetite for that return. His focus stayed in Spain, and more specifically in red and white.

For now, that commitment suits Diego Simeone perfectly. Alvarez, 26, has already featured twice in La Liga this season, and Simeone will lean heavily on his firepower as Atletico aim to turn a title challenge from ambition into reality. In a side built on intensity and discipline, a forward who can press, link play and finish is gold.

Yet Rodri’s public praise changes the temperature around the story. When a marquee signing at Barca openly champions a former colleague, people listen. Sporting directors take note. Agents do the maths.

Barcelona are constantly scanning the market for elite attacking options, trying to refresh a forward line that has to compete with the firepower in Madrid and across Europe. A player who can score, create, and slot into multiple roles across the front and in behind? He fits the profile almost too neatly.

Alvarez, for his part, remains an Atletico player with a central role in Simeone’s plans and a title race to chase. But with a former team-mate now campaigning for him from inside Camp Nou, the noise around his long-term future will only grow louder.

If Barca decide to act on Rodri’s recommendation, this admiration could easily turn into one of the next big transfer battles in Spain.