Atletico CEO lashes out at Barcelona amid Alvarez transfer saga

Atletico Madrid CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin insisted the club does not want to sell Julian Alvarez this summer, especially to Barcelona.

Alvarez’s future is quickly developing into one of the transfer stories of the summer window, with the Argentina international also wanting a move away from Atleti.

Real Madrid have already seen a €150m bid rejected by Atleti, while the 26-year-old is reportedly keen to join Barca.

After Argentina’s win over Austria at the World Cup, Alvarez once again expressed his desire to leave the Metropolitano, much to the disappointment of Gil Marin, who also lashed out at Barca.

“It wasn’t the right day to make such statements; it was a day for [Lionel] Messi and the Argentine national team, not Julian,” Gil Marin told EFE.

“Julian has a dream [to sign elsewhere], but we Atletico fans have dreams, too. It is true that he has spoken to us, but it is also true that he is fully aware of our position because we have been very clear: Atleti do not want to transfer him.

“He is a great player and we are very proud that he plays for us.

Debut day, viste 

 Good luck lads! pic.twitter.com/RE6V9pklBJ

— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) June 16, 2026

“Barca are disrespecting us. They think they can walk all over us and that we are weak and stupid, but in reality, they are showing the world a way of acting which defines them.

“They lie to us, to the player, to the media… they even lie to their own supporters. They try to make everyone believer they can do a deal that in reality they are not capable of doing.”

Alvarez joined Atleti from Manchester City ahead of the 2024-25 season, and has since scored 49 goals in 106 games for the LaLiga outfit.

He has also directly contributed to 66 goals under Diego Simeone, 18 more than any other Atleti player since his debut (Antoine Griezmann – 48).

Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal are both said to have interest in the forward, who has a €500m release clause.