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Atlético closes the door on Barça over Julián Álvarez and raises tensions
Atlético de Madrid has again closed the door on Julián Álvarez leaving for Barcelona. A few days before the market closes, the red-and-white club maintains that it will not negotiate the Argentine forward’s transfer to a direct rival, despite strong Blaugrana interest and an offer that reached 100 million euros.
The club's position is not new, but it has hardened in recent weeks. Miguel Ángel Gil Marín already stated in July that Atlético would not accept 100 million, 150 million or 200 million for the player. His contract runs until June 2030 and includes a 500 million release clause.
Barça have kept Julián as one of their major targets to strengthen the forward line. Joan Laporta has publicly acknowledged the interest and the desire to complete the deal, but in Madrid they believe the situation has gone beyond an economic negotiation and criticise the way the Blaugrana club has handled the signing.
Tension has also risen around the footballer himself. Julián Álvarez has not trained with the group in the last two sessions. The official explanation is illness, so for the time being it cannot be said that the absences are part of a strategy to force his departure.
The Argentine had already expressed a desire to move on during the summer, a stance that caused displeasure among part of the Rojiblanca fanbase. The atmosphere became especially visible in the whistles he recently received, while his future continued to fill headlines as the end of the transfer window approached.
Gil Marín has insisted, however, that Atlético want to restore normality with the forward. The chief executive considers Julián to have been poorly advised in recent months and maintains that the club will continue to support him because it considers him a fundamental piece in competing at the highest level.
Diego Simeone has also aligned himself with that position. The coach made clear this summer that the institutional decision was not to transfer him and that his job would be to reintegrate him sporting-wise and get him to produce his best form in the Rojiblanca shirt.
With the market entering its final days, the scenario looks increasingly closed: Barcelona want the forward, Julián has shown his willingness to leave and Atlético refuse to negotiate. Unless an unexpected turn emerges, the Argentine's immediate future remains in Madrid, although the tension around his continued stay is far from having subsided.