Atletico Madrid rule out Barcelona sale and hand Arsenal priority in Julian Alvarez race

Julian Alvarez has confirmed he wants to leave Atletico Madrid, triggering a bitter public dispute between the Spanish club and Barcelona while handing Arsenal a significant advantage in the race to sign the Argentina striker.

Alvarez, 25, made his intentions clear to reporters following Argentina’s 2-0 win over Austria. “I want to fulfil my dream,” he said. “I spoke with the people at the club I needed to speak with. The best thing for my future is a transfer.”

The admission came as a bombshell for Atletico, whose CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin expressed his frustration publicly. “It wasn’t the right day to make such statements; it was a day for Messi and the Argentine national team, not Julian,” Gil Marin told EFE. “Julian has a dream, but we Atletico fans have dreams, too. He is fully aware of our position because we have been very clear: Atleti do not want to transfer him.”

Barcelona had been the frontrunners to sign Alvarez following Robert Lewandowski’s confirmed departure, submitting an opening bid of £87m that Atletico flatly rejected. Real Madrid also tested the water with a £129m offer, which was similarly turned down. Atletico then took the extraordinary step of posting a series of angry statements on social media, accusing Barcelona of “calculated leaks, fake news and constant disrespect”.

Gil Marin went further in his public rebuke of the Catalan club. “They lie to us, to the player, to the media — they even lie to their own supporters,” he said. “This isn’t the first time Barca have acted like this. Last year they did something very similar with Nico Williams and Athletic Club.”

Atletico have now made their preference clear: according to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, the club are flat-out refusing to sell Alvarez to Barcelona. Diego Simeone’s side plan to revisit the situation after the World Cup, and if Alvarez still pushes for a move at that point, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain are the two clubs Atletico would consider selling to.

Arsenal’s position could be further strengthened by a potential swap arrangement. Reports suggest Atletico have registered an interest in Gunners striker Viktor Gyokeres, which could give Arsenal an edge over PSG in negotiations and provide Atletico with a ready-made replacement.

The situation is set to remain fluid until after the World Cup concludes, with Alvarez’s future likely to be one of the summer’s defining transfer sagas.