Atletico Madrid insist Alvarez is not for sale despite his transfer plea to Arsenal and Barcelona

Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has publicly declared that Julian Alvarez is not for sale, responding directly to the Argentina striker’s own admission that a transfer would be “the best thing for everyone” — a statement that has alerted both Arsenal and Barcelona.

Alvarez, who cost Atletico £81.5 million when they signed him from Manchester City, broke cover in a candid interview with ESPN. “I try to be an honest person,” he said. “I spoke with the people at the club I needed to speak with. The best thing for everyone is a transfer. I want to fulfil my dream.” The comments landed as a bombshell in Madrid, with Cerezo telling Spanish radio station RNE: “It caught us by surprise and we have done what we had to do. We’ve said that he is an Atletico de Madrid player and that we have no offers from anyone. Even if there were offers, we do not want to sell him.”

Atletico hold a commanding contractual position. Alvarez is tied down until 2030 and carries a €500 million (£431 million) release clause — figures that make any realistic deal extraordinarily difficult for potential suitors to structure.

Arsenal’s interest is rooted in direct experience: they faced Alvarez in the Champions League semi-finals this season and remain in the market for a prolific centre-forward. Barcelona’s need is arguably more urgent — Robert Lewandowski’s departure has left them short of a proven striker, and they watch Alvarez weekly in La Liga having also been eliminated by him in the Copa del Rey.

In 106 appearances for Atletico, Alvarez has contributed 49 goals and 17 assists, establishing himself as one of the most effective forwards in European football. The club finished unable to challenge Barcelona for the La Liga title last season and also lost the Copa del Rey final — a campaign that may have sharpened Alvarez’s desire for a new challenge.

Manager Diego Simeone has taken a measured public stance on the speculation. “I’m not in Julian’s head,” he said. “I understand that it’s normal that an extraordinary player like Julian Alvarez is wanted by Arsenal, PSG, Barcelona. It’s normal because he’s so good.”

With Cerezo drawing a firm line and Alvarez’s contract and release clause acting as a near-impenetrable barrier, any move this summer would require an extraordinary sequence of events — or a shift in Atletico’s position that, for now, shows no sign of coming.