Diego Simeone has confirmed Julian Alvarez will not feature for Atletico Madrid in their LaLiga opener against Malaga, amid continued links to Arsenal and Barcelona.
Atletico begin their league campaign at home to Malaga - back in Spanish football’s top tier for the first time since 2018 - on Wednesday night, seeking to make a winning start.
Why Alvarez is unavailable
However, they will have to break down the newly-promoted side without their top scorer from last season as Alvarez is unavailable for selection.
While the Argentine has been heavily tipped to leave Atletico this summer, the reason for his absence is not because a transfer is imminent, rather he is not in the best condition following an extended post-World Cup holiday.
"We don’t believe Julian Alvarez is in the right condition to play or take part for tomorrow’s game," Simeone explained to reporters on Tuesday. "Hopefully, over these next four days, he’ll make further progress and we’ll be closer to where we want him to be."
"We’re looking after both the person and the player, and we understand that he is not in the right condition to play in this match."
Simeone's stance on transfer speculation
After facing Malaga, Atletico are next in action against Villarreal on Sunday and then take on Sevilla in the last fixture before the summer transfer window closes.
Despite links to Arsenal as well as Barcelona, Simeone has reiterated his belief that Alvarez will still be an Atletico Madrid player come September 2.
"If the club owner has spoken so categorically, then there’s nothing more to say," the Argentine added. "It’s like when you go to court, that’s it, nothing more to it."
Arsenal preference reported
A fresh report, though, has claimed Atletico would prefer Alvarez to join the Gunners rather than Barcelona which could be vital in Mikel Arteta’s continued attempts to persuade the striker to return to the Premier League.
