Florentino Pérez had promised a galáctico signing upon his re-election as Real Madrid president. On Tuesday evening, he delivered on that promise in the most literal sense: the bid went in, and it came straight back out.

Real Madrid officially submitted a €150 million offer to Atlético Madrid for Argentine forward Julián Álvarez, announcing it publicly following a board meeting.

The 26-year-old World Cup winner has been one of La Liga’s standout players since joining Atlético from Manchester City in 2024, scoring 49 goals in 106 appearances.

Atlético rejected the offer, pointing to the player’s €500 million release clause. Their formal response was polite enough. Their social media post was not.

“You inconveniently edited out the Pope’s video where he stated he was also an Atleti supporter. You must have confused politeness with gratitude, but to be clear: we offer you no thanks. We are neither considering nor evaluating any offers for Julián. How could we not get along, when you amuse us even more than @FCBarcelona_es?”

The statement part official rebuttal, part comedy roast went viral within minutes.

This was not even the first rebuff of the summer.

Barcelona had a similar bid rejected just last week, also believed to be around €150 million. With Álvarez contracted until 2030 and Atlético immovable on price, any suitor faces an almost impossible financial wall.

For Real Madrid, the hunt for a headline signing goes on. For Atlético, the message could not have been clearer or funnier.