Atletico Madrid's Stance on Julian Alvarez: 0% Chance of Transfer to Barcelona

Atletico Madrid have drawn a hard line in the sand over Julian Alvarez – and they are not budging.

The club insist there is a "0% chance" of selling the Argentine forward to Barcelona, firing back after Joan Laporta publicly reiterated Barca’s interest and claimed their €100m (£85.7m) offer is still on the table.

"This is not about money, it's about dignity. The player is being victimised, but the only victim in the Julian case is us," Atletico said in a strongly worded statement, accusing Barcelona of damaging them "economically and socially" and repeating: "There is 0% chance of selling him to Barca."

Booed, absent, and at the centre of a storm

Alvarez has been living inside the eye of this transfer storm all summer. On Sunday, during Atletico’s draw with Villarreal, the tension spilled into the stands.

He started on the bench. The boos began as he warmed up. They grew louder when he came on in the 66th minute. At full-time, while his teammates applauded the fans, Alvarez went straight down the tunnel. The jeers followed him.

Diego Simeone later insisted that early exit was a pre-agreed club decision, but it did little to ease the sense of fracture around the player.

By Wednesday, Alvarez had missed training. Reports in Spain said he was unwell. On the same day, Laporta released a new video stating that Barcelona’s €100m offer, lodged earlier in the summer, remained active. Atletico’s furious response quickly followed.

Inside Barcelona, sources maintain the club will keep pushing for Alvarez until the window closes. They see him as a marquee attacking signing, a long-term reference point after the departure of Robert Lewandowski.

Atletico, publicly at least, are treating that stance with contempt.

Arsenal watching, Alvarez leaning towards Spain

While the two Spanish clubs trade blows, Arsenal hover in the background.

The Gunners have long admired Alvarez and regard him as a dream target for their forward line. Their interest has not cooled, but those close to the situation say the 26-year-old still wants to stay in Spain.

For now, Arsenal are waiting, assessing whether the chaos in Madrid and Barcelona could yet open a door before next week’s deadline. They are also increasingly realistic about how slim those chances are.

Alvarez only joined Atletico from Manchester City in 2024, yet within months his future has become one of the defining sagas of this transfer window.

A saga months in the making

This did not begin with Laporta’s latest video. The groundwork for this feud was laid months ago.

Barcelona’s first move came back in May, when reports emerged that they had opened talks over a deal for Alvarez. Atletico’s reaction was immediate and emphatic. The club mocked Barca’s pursuit in a series of social media posts, telling their millions of followers they were victims of a "smear campaign" and making it crystal clear they would not sell to their La Liga rivals.

The message: Alvarez is not for sale. At least not to Barcelona.

Then came Real Madrid.

In June, Los Blancos stepped into the arena with a €150m (£130m) bid, after president Florentino Perez had promised supporters he would lodge a €150m offer for an unnamed "Galactico" if re-elected. Alvarez was that player.

Atletico rejected the proposal. Real Madrid, referencing Alvarez’s €500m (£430m) release clause, said Atletico had "expressed its gratitude for the proposal". Atleti hit back again online, denying any gratitude and once more underlining that Alvarez would not be sold to Barcelona.

The war of words was already in full swing before Alvarez even kicked a ball for Argentina at the World Cup.

The player speaks, the tension deepens

After Argentina’s win over Austria in June, Alvarez finally broke his silence. He told the media he had spoken to Atletico and that "the best thing for everyone is a transfer", adding: "I want to fulfil my dream."

Those comments cut across Atletico’s repeated insistence that he was not for sale. They also confirmed what many suspected: Alvarez himself is open to leaving.

Barcelona and Paris St-Germain were among the clubs heavily linked. Barca’s interest grew as they searched for a long-term successor to Lewandowski, who left the club this summer. They identified Alvarez as that figurehead.

Atletico, though, continued to dig in. Chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin went as far as saying the club would not sell Alvarez "even for 200m euros (£170.8m)."

Now, with deadline day looming on 1 September, Laporta has gone public again, Atletico have hit back harder than ever, and Arsenal are lurking on the fringes.

The numbers are staggering. The rhetoric is escalating. The boos are getting louder.

Somewhere in the middle of all that noise, Julian Alvarez still has to decide where he actually wants to play his football this season.