Atletico Madrid Dismiss Barcelona’s Julian Alvarez Pursuit with “0% Chance” Declaration

The initial approach for the player originated from Barcelona in May, with reports indicating that the Catalan club had initiated discussions to secure Alvarez’s signature.

However, in a development that appears to follow a familiar pattern, Atletico Madrid remained resolute in their refusal to entertain any offer for Alvarez from Barcelona.

During May, the club issued a series of social media posts that sharply ridiculed Barcelona’s pursuit of their player, reaching millions of followers and alleging that they were targets of a coordinated “smear campaign”.

Alvarez subsequently joined Argentina for the World Cup campaign, with uncertainty surrounding his club future already dominating headlines.

Subsequently in June, a substantial offer arrived from Atleti’s city rivals, Real Madrid.

Los Blancos submitted a €150 million (£130 million) bid for Alvarez, following President Florentino Perez’s commitment to supporters that he would pursue a €150 million signing of an unnamed “Galactico” upon his re-election.

Atletico rejected the proposal, with Real Madrid highlighting Alvarez’s €500 million (£430 million) release clause and noting that Atletico had “expressed its gratitude for the proposal”.

Atleti once again countered with lighthearted social media responses, rejecting any suggestion of gratitude and maintaining their firm position that Alvarez would not be transferred to Barcelona.

Following Argentina’s victory over Austria in June, Alvarez informed the media that he had communicated with Atletico and stated that “the best thing for everyone is a transfer”, adding: “I want to fulfil my dream”.

These remarks effectively confirmed that, despite Atletico’s insistence that he was unavailable for transfer, the player himself remained open to a departure, with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain reportedly among the interested parties.

Barcelona’s pursuit of Alvarez was motivated by their requirement to identify a long-term successor for Robert Lewandowski, who departed the club this summer.

Nevertheless, Atletico maintained their stance against selling Alvarez, with chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin declaring that the club would not part with him “even for 200 million euros (£170.8 million)”.

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