Atletico Madrid Firm on Julian Alvarez: No Sale to Barcelona

Atletico Madrid have drawn a hard line in the sand over Julian Alvarez – and they are spelling it out in blunt terms.

“There is 0% chance of selling him to Barca.”

That was the message from the club on Wednesday, as the row with Barcelona and president Joan Laporta exploded into another public flashpoint. Laporta had released a new video claiming Barcelona’s €100m (£85.7m) offer for the Argentine forward remained on the table. Atletico’s response was furious.

“This is not about money, it's about dignity. The player is being victimised, but the only victim in the Julian case is us,” the club said. “They have harmed us economically and socially. There is 0% chance of selling him to Barca. There is a campaign of many lies and half-truths. The only one paying for this is Atletico.”

The statement capped a chaotic few days in the capital. Alvarez, already under intense scrutiny amid relentless transfer speculation, was loudly booed by sections of the Atleti support during Sunday’s draw with Villarreal. He started on the bench, was jeered while warming up, and the volume rose again when he came on in the 66th minute.

At full-time, he walked straight down the tunnel instead of joining his teammates to applaud the fans. The reaction from the stands was immediate: more boos. Diego Simeone later insisted it was a pre-agreed club decision for the forward to head directly to the dressing room, but the damage to the relationship with parts of the fanbase was clear.

By Wednesday, Alvarez had missed training, with reports suggesting he was unwell. The timing only fuelled the sense of drama around a player whose future has become one of the defining sagas of this transfer window.

Barcelona keep knocking – Atletico slam the door

Laporta, speaking before Barcelona’s game against Athletic Club, said the club still respected Atletico but maintained that their nine-figure bid remained active. Inside Barcelona, the stance is simple: they will keep pushing for Alvarez until the window shuts.

The need is obvious. With Robert Lewandowski gone, Barca want a long-term centre-forward to build around, and Alvarez – who joined Atletico from Manchester City in 2024 – is at the top of their list.

Atletico, though, have turned this into a point of principle. They have repeatedly refused to negotiate with Barca, publicly and emphatically. As far back as May, when the first offer from Barcelona landed, Atleti were adamant: Alvarez was not for sale to their La Liga rivals.

They didn’t just say it. They mocked it. The club’s social media channels pushed out posts ridiculing Barca’s pursuit and painting themselves as victims of a “smear campaign” to unsettle their player.

Nothing has softened since. If anything, the rhetoric has hardened.

Chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin has previously said Atletico would not sell Alvarez “even for 200m euros (£170.8m)”. The latest statement, with its “0% chance” line, fits the same uncompromising tone.

Real Madrid, PSG, Arsenal – the long queue for Alvarez

Barcelona are not alone in chasing the World Cup winner.

In June, Real Madrid stepped into the fight with a huge €150m (£130m) bid. It followed president Florentino Perez’s promise to supporters that he would make a €150m offer for an unnamed “Galactico” if re-elected. Alvarez was that player.

Atletico turned it down, pointing to the forward’s €500m (£430m) release clause. Real Madrid then said Atleti had “expressed its gratitude for the proposal” – a line Atletico gleefully shot down online, again using humorous posts to underline that there was no gratitude, and no intention to sell to Barcelona.

Paris St-Germain have also been linked, as the market for elite forwards narrows and Alvarez’s name keeps surfacing near the top of every shortlist.

Arsenal, too, are in the picture. The Gunners regard Alvarez as a dream signing and have maintained interest as the situation in Spain has grown more strained. For now, though, they are watching from a distance, increasingly realistic about how difficult it will be to prise him away before next week’s deadline.

The complication? Sources close to the situation say Alvarez still wants to stay in Spain. That immediately strengthens Barcelona’s hand and weakens Arsenal’s, even if Atletico are determined not to sell to their Catalan rivals.

A player in the eye of the storm

The saga has not just been club versus club. Alvarez himself has added fuel at times.

After Argentina’s win over Austria in June, he admitted he had spoken with Atletico about his future and said “the best thing for everyone is a transfer”, adding: “I want to fulfil my dream.”

Those comments undercut Atletico’s public insistence that he was not for sale and signalled that the player was open to leaving. Barcelona and Paris St-Germain were both named among the clubs interested.

Yet Atletico have refused to bend. They have framed the story as a battle for dignity, a fight against what they describe as lies and half-truths, and a stand against what they see as attempts to destabilise their squad and damage them “economically and socially”.

On the other side, Barcelona are staying patient, convinced that time and pressure might yet force a breakthrough. Laporta’s latest video was another nudge, another reminder that the €100m offer still stands.

Deadline approaching, tensions rising

All of this is playing out with the clock ticking towards the 1 September deadline.

Alvarez, 26, remains an Atletico player. He remains the subject of whistles from his own fans. He remains at the centre of one of the most bitter, public transfer disputes in recent La Liga history.

The numbers are enormous. The statements are inflammatory. The positions look entrenched.

Barcelona say the offer is still there. Atletico say there is “0% chance” they will accept it.

Something has to give. But with days left in the window, will it be the player, the club, or the price?