Atletico Madrid have reiterated their unwavering stance regarding the transfer of Julian Alvarez to Barcelona, maintaining a firm 0% chance of a sale following a recent confrontation with the club’s president, Joan Laporta. The situation escalated following Alvarez’s missed training on Wednesday, leading to a series of increasingly complex negotiations and public disagreements between the two clubs. Reports indicate that Alvarez was unwell, prompting Atletico to condemn Laporta’s video, published on Wednesday, which asserted Barcelona’s offer of €100 million (€85.7m) remained on the table. ‘This is not about money, it’s about dignity. The player is being victimised, but the only victim in the Julian case is us,’ Atletico stated, emphasizing the significance of the situation for the club’s reputation and economic stability. The video, delivered by Laporta, highlighted a perceived disregard for Atletico’s position, with the club’s initial offer being presented as a ‘great respect’ before the subsequent bid was reiterated. Sources at Barcelona suggest they will continue to pursue Alvarez, despite the club’s insistence that the player remains with them until the transfer window closes, with Barcelona’s initial offer of €150 million (€130m) – representing €150m – being rejected by Atletico. Despite this, Arsenal, who have also expressed interest in Alvarez, are reportedly watching the situation unfold closely, with sources suggesting that Alvarez still wants to stay in Spain. Alvarez initially started on the bench on Sunday but was jeered while warming up, and there were even louder boos when he came on in the 66th minute. He headed straight to the dressing room tunnel, rather than joining the rest of the team who were applauding the fans, which drew more boos. Atleti boss Diego Simeone suggested afterwards that it was a pre-agreed club decision for the forward to head straight to the dressing room. Speaking before Barcelona’s match against Athletic Club on Thursday, head coach Hansi Flick declined to discuss Alvarez directly, saying: ‘I only want to speak about the situation of the club.’ With deadline day approaching on September 1st, the war of words between the two clubs continues, and the Argentine World Cup winner’s future remains one of the biggest talking points of the transfer window. Alvarez’s transfer saga – how did we get here? The first offer on the table came from Barcelona in May, with reports suggesting the club had opened talks to sign Alvarez. But in what appears to be a recurring pattern, Atletico were absolutely adamant that they would not sell Alvarez to Barcelona. In May, they made a series of social media posts brutally mocking Barca’s pursuit of their player to millions of followers, saying they were victims of a ‘smear campaign’. Alvarez went to the World Cup with Argentina with his future already a major talking point. Then, in June, in came another big offer from Atleti’s city rivals, Real Madrid. Los Blancos made a €150 million offer for Alvarez after president Florentino Perez promised supporters that he would make a bid of that amount for an unnamed ‘Galactico’ if re-elected. The offer was rejected by Atletico, with Real Madrid pointing to Alvarez’s €130m release clause and saying Atletico had ‘expressed its gratitude for the proposal’. Again, Atleti responded with humorous social media posts, denying any gratitude and remaining adamant that Alvarez would not be sold to Barcelona. After Argentina’s win over Austria in June, Alvarez told the media that he had spoken to Atletico and he said that “the best thing for everyone is a transfer”, adding: “I want to fulfil my dream”. Those comments effectively confirmed that, despite Atletico’s insistence that he was not for sale, the player himself was open to leaving and Barcelona and Paris St-Germain were among the clubs reportedly interested. Barcelona’s interest in Alvarez was driven by their need for a long-term successor to Robert Lewandowski, who left the club this summer. But Atletico maintained they did not want to sell Alvarez, with chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin saying the club would not sell him ‘even for 200m euros (£170.8m)”. The image source is provided by Getty Images.”}”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
Source: Adom Sports
