Atletico Madrid's leadership has taken a hard line regarding the sale of striker Julian Alvarez to Barcelona, officially ruling out any possibility of negotiating with the current La Liga champions.
In a statement released on Thursday, Atletico's board said it is "in complete and unanimous support" of the decision not to negotiate with Barcelona over Alvarez's situation. However, the Madrid club also indicated it is not closing the door on offers from others, with Arsenal reportedly pursuing the Argentina international in recent days.
"There will be no, and there will never be, any negotiation with them (Barcelona) regarding the transfer of Alvarez," the Atletico board statement emphasized, adding: "Atletico Madrid has always been open to standard transfer negotiations when conducted professionally, ethically, and with respect."
"We fully support the club's previous position that Barcelona has not met these requirements, and therefore, there will be no negotiations at all and no consideration whatsoever of transferring Alvarez to Barcelona."
Atletico did not provide further details. Earlier, the club reported Barcelona to FIFA and the Royal Spanish Football Federation over their approach to Alvarez.
Atletico expressed confidence that Alvarez "will understand this decision and focus on working as best as possible to help the club achieve its objectives." The striker missed a second consecutive training session on Wednesday due to illness, after being jeered by fans during the 2-2 draw with Villarreal in La Liga on Sunday.
Atletico's statement came a day after Barcelona president Joan Laporta said the club still hopes to secure the signature of the 2022 World Cup winner before the transfer window closes. Laporta said Barcelona still has an offer, estimated at around 100 million euros ($116 million), on the table for the 26-year-old forward.
Barcelona considers Alvarez a top target to strengthen their attack following the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres. Alvarez joined Atletico from Manchester City in 2024 in a deal worth up to 95 million euros ($111 million).
