Atletico Madrid CEO rules out Alvarez sale at any price, dismissing Arsenal and Barcelona interest

Atletico Madrid have drawn an absolute line under Julian Alvarez’s future at the club, with CEO Miguel Angel Gil insisting the Argentina striker will not be sold at any price — not for €100 million, €150 million, or even €200 million — as interest from Arsenal and Barcelona intensifies.

Gil made his position unambiguous in an interview with club media, stating: “My opinion is clear. The club’s will is clear. We have made this clear to the player and his agent, and to the president of Barcelona. I have no doubt that Atletico is the right place in the world for Julian, and Julian is the perfect striker for Atletico de Madrid. We want to keep him.”

Arsenal, Premier League champions, are among the clubs monitoring Alvarez’s situation, while Barcelona president Joan Laporta had publicly confirmed that a bid from the Catalan club remained on the table with a deadline attached. Gil was dismissive of that framing, accusing Laporta of playing to the gallery rather than engaging seriously with Atletico.

“I know Joan well enough to believe that he is constantly playing to the media and to the fans for his own personal circus,” Gil said. “I spoke to him personally. I told him: ‘Please, just let it go. We do not want to sell him and we are not going to sell him. Stop insisting.’ But he keeps this situation alive because, in part, he enjoys it. He knows perfectly well that Julian will not be playing for FC Barcelona next season.”

Gil also addressed Alvarez directly, suggesting the former Manchester City forward had received poor advice since the end of the season, while expressing full confidence in his professionalism and character. “We have worked with him over the last two seasons, and we have absolutely no doubt about his character or his professionalism,” he said. “Julian has been poorly advised since the end of the season, and that is in some way what leads me to believe that his performances and his attitude will continue to be exactly what they have always been.”

The CEO’s comments represent the clearest signal yet that Atletico intend to hold firm regardless of the figures being discussed elsewhere, effectively closing the door on a summer exit for one of European football’s most sought-after strikers.