Ansu Fati had a €1 billion release clause, and we sold him for €11 million. Araujo had a €1 billion release clause, and we're now potentially selling him for €55 million if his loan move to Liverpool goes well.
So all this noise about Barcelona having to pay €500 million to trigger Álvarez's release clause is nonsense.
Release clauses can be negotiated. Clubs can sit down and agree on a different fee.
Not every release clause has to be paid in full.