Atletico Madrid confirm Julian Alvarez transfer stance amid Barcelona and Arsenal battle

Atletico Madrid have moved to end any lingering uncertainty over Julian Alvarez’s future, officially confirming that the striker will not be sold to Barcelona – a stance that leaves Arsenal as his most realistic route out of the Spanish capital.

In a statement released by the club, Atletico’s Board of Directors gave their unanimous backing to the decision to freeze Barcelona out of any negotiations. The club stressed they remain open to doing business in the market, but only “in an ethical and professional manner and with respect between clubs” – conditions they say Barcelona have failed to meet.

REUTERS/Thomas Peter

As a result, the statement confirms there have been no talks over Alvarez with Barcelona, and none will follow.

Atletico added that they expect their forward to accept the decision and continue giving his all for the club, pointing to the way he has represented them over the past two seasons.

Read the full statement below, via Fabrizio Romano:

“The members of Atlético Madrid’s Board of Directors have unanimously expressed their full support for the club’s decision not to negotiate the transfer of Julián Alvarez to FC Barcelona. The members of the Board of Directors are aware that: Atlético Madrid is open to negotiations that are part of the transfer market, but always in an ethical and professional manner and with respect between clubs.

“We fully support the position previously communicated by the club that FC Barcelona have not met these requirements and, as a result, there have been no negotiations, nor will there be any negotiations with them regarding the transfer of Julián Alvarez.

“Atlético Madrid are convinced that our player will understand the decision and focus on working in the best possible way to help the club achieve its objectives, as he has already done during the two seasons in which he has defended our colours.”

For Arsenal, the timing could hardly be better. Alvarez has long been earmarked as one of Mikel Arteta’s priority targets to lead the line, with Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta said to have maintained regular contact over a potential deal. The Argentine had reportedly been holding out for a move to Barcelona, driven partly by family and lifestyle factors, but that path now looks all but closed with Atletico refusing to even engage.

The Independent has reported that Arsenal’s pitch to Alvarez centres on restoring him to his best position – a central, roaming No.9 role with license to press and drop into pockets, rather than the wide or withdrawn duties he has sometimes been asked to fill under Diego Simeone.

Arsenal are also understood to have leverage in the shape of Viktor Gyokeres or Gabriel Jesus, either of whom could interest Atletico as makeweights in a deal, with Simeone keen on reinforcements up front.

Any move would still require Arsenal to meet a substantial fee and match or exceed Alvarez’s reported £200,000-a-week wages in La Liga. But with Barcelona now officially out of the picture, Atletico’s statement represents a significant boost to Arsenal’s hopes of prising away one of European football’s most sought-after forwards before the market shuts.