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Barcelona have stepped up their pursuit of Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez, but the Spanish club have ruled out selling the Argentina international to their LaLiga rivals.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta publicly reiterated the club’s interest in Alvarez on Wednesday, saying the Catalan giants wanted Atletico to accept their offer for the 26-year-old forward.
“The truth is that we’re very interested in the player,” Laporta said in a video interview with Barcelona’s club channels. “We’d like our offer to be accepted, and we say this with all due respect for Atletico Madrid.”
Atletico, however, have taken a firm position against the proposed transfer, with reports indicating that the club have no intention of allowing Alvarez to join Barcelona, regardless of the financial terms involved.
Spanish newspaper Marca quoted Atletico sources as saying: “The player is being portrayed as the victim, but we are the only victims in this case.
“[Barcelona] have harmed us both financially and socially. There is a zero-per-cent chance of selling him to Barcelona – it’s not about money, it’s about dignity.”
The dispute has intensified after Alvarez was booed by Atletico supporters following Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Villarreal, amid growing uncertainty over his future at the club.
Alvarez also missed Atletico’s training session on Wednesday. The club attributed his absence to a stomach bug and a poor night’s sleep, rather than developments concerning his transfer situation.
The increasingly tense situation could leave Arsenal with an unexpected opening. The Premier League champions remain interested in Alvarez and are reportedly prepared to surpass their club-record £105 million fee paid for Declan Rice.
Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta has reportedly maintained contact with his former club in recent days. However, Alvarez’s preference remains Barcelona, while the striker has so far shown no desire to move to London.
Atletico expert and journalist Ruben Uría told Sky Sports News that the situation had become “extremely tense”, adding that neither Atletico chief executive Miguel Gil Marín nor the club’s board wanted to sell the player to Barcelona.
With six days remaining in the transfer window, Arsenal could yet become Alvarez’s alternative if Atletico continue to reject Barcelona and the Argentine decides his future must lie away from Madrid.
