Diego Simeone has insisted Atletico Madrid have no plans to sell Julian Alvarez to Arsenal or Barcelona this summer. The Argentine striker has told Atletico he wants to leave before the end of the transfer window, but the club's stance remains firm.
Arsenal's search for a marquee signing
Arsenal are aiming to land a marquee signing to bolster Mikel Arteta's attacking options ahead of the new season but have missed out on Vinicius Junior, who opted to renew his contract with Real Madrid this week. Arteta has been a long-term admirer of Alvarez, and Arsenal have explored the possibility of signing the Argentina international this summer.
Alvarez made his feelings clear during Argentina's World Cup campaign, telling Atletico he wants to leave. 'I spoke with the people I needed to speak with and the best thing for everyone is a transfer. I want to fulfil my dream,' Alvarez said after Argentina's 2-0 win over Austria in June.
Barcelona's pursuit and Atletico's refusal
Barcelona are understood to be Alvarez's preferred destination, but Atletico have been angered by Barca's public pursuit of the 26-year-old and are refusing to negotiate with their La Liga rivals. Simeone doubled down on Atletico's stance during his press conference in Seoul on Saturday.
'The situation is very clear, the club made a decision that Miguel Angel [Gil Marin] explained very well,' Simeone said. 'From the sporting side, we are very happy to have a player like Julian, and from a sporting perspective we will help him to continue growing, to continue improving, and to give us back what he has given us over these two years, which was a great deal.'
'We have some precedents, we already saw what happened with Griezmann, I don't see any other way than to work from a sporting perspective as we have to and try to help as we have done these past two years.'
Release clause and president's comments
Speaking last month, Atletico president Miguel Angel Gil Marin insisted that the only way for Barcelona to sign Alvarez this summer would be to activate the Argentine's €500 million (£428.5m) release clause. '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 Barca,' Gil Marin said.
'I have no doubt that Atletico is the right place in the world for Julian, and Julian is the perfect striker for Atletico Madrid. We want to keep him. I simply heard some statements from the [Barcelona] president [Joan Laporta], saying that his offer wasn't open-ended. And our response is that our response is indeed open-ended – we don't want to transfer him. We didn't accept the €100 million offer, nor will we accept one of €150 million or €200 million.'
