Atletico Madrid will not sell Alvarez amid Barcelona interest, says Simeone
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoAlvarez in action against Arsenal during their Champions League semifinal [Isabel Infantes/Reuters]By AFPPublished On 8 Aug 20268 Aug 2026Atletico Madrid will not allow forward Julian Alvarez to leave the club during the current transfer window despite interest from Barcelona, coach Diego Simeone has said.
Last month, Atletico filed a complaint to FIFA over Barcelona allegedly tapping up Alvarez.
“I think the situation is very clear. The club has made a decision that (CEO) Miguel Angel (Gil Marin) has explained very well,” Simeone told reporters on Saturday before a preseason friendly against Manchester City in Seoul.
Alvarez is due to rejoin the Atletico squad in two days after taking a break following Argentina’s World Cup final loss to Spain.
While on World Cup duty, the 26-year-old said he “believed a transfer is best for everyone”, but did not confirm his preferred destination.
Alvarez has scored 49 goals for Atletico since signing from Manchester City two years ago.
“We don’t want to transfer him. We didn’t accept the 100-million-euro offer, nor will we accept one for 150 million or 200 million,” Gil Marin told the club’s in-house media channel.
When asked about how Alvarez might be received by Atletico fans following the transfer speculation, Simeone pointed to Antoine Griezmann.
The Frenchman made a big-money move to Barcelona before returning to Atletico.
He was initially met with some hostility, but won the supporters back over and departed last season a club legend.
“We went through a period with Antoine in recent years where he had to leave, come back, and prove his quality and stature on the pitch,” said Simeone.
Atletico get their La Liga campaign under way on August 19 with a home match against newly-promoted Malaga.
The capital club finished fourth last season, 25 points adrift of champions Barcelona.
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