Atlético Madrid: 0% Chance of Selling Julian Álvarez to Barcelona

Atlético Madrid have gone on the offensive in the Julian Álvarez saga, insisting there is “0% chance” they will sell the Argentine to Barcelona, as tensions between the clubs spill into the final days of the transfer window.

Their stance hardened after Barça president Joan Laporta appeared in a new video on Wednesday, reiterating that the Catalans’ €100m (£85.7m) bid for the forward “remains on the table”. Atlético’s response was immediate – and furious.

“This is not about money, it's about dignity. The player is being victimised, but the only victim in the Julian case is us,” the club said. “They have harmed us economically and socially. There is 0% chance of selling him to Barca. There is a campaign of many lies and half-truths. The only one paying for this is Atlético.”

The message was clear: Barcelona can keep calling. Atlético are not picking up.

Boos, illness and a dressing-room dash

All this is unfolding against a hostile backdrop in Madrid. Álvarez, 26, has been at the centre of heavy transfer speculation all summer and felt the anger of his own supporters on Sunday during Atlético’s draw with Villarreal.

He started on the bench, was jeered while warming up, and the boos only intensified when he came on in the 66th minute. At full-time he headed straight down the tunnel instead of joining his teammates in applauding the fans. The reaction from the stands was even louder.

Diego Simeone later suggested it had been a pre-agreed club decision for Álvarez to go directly to the dressing room, but the optics were ugly. By midweek, the forward had missed training, with reports saying he was unwell, adding another layer of uncertainty to an already volatile situation.

Barcelona won’t let go

Laporta’s latest intervention came before Barcelona’s game against Athletic Club on Thursday. In his video, he stressed the club’s “great respect” for Atlético but underlined that the offer made earlier in the summer still stands.

Inside Barcelona, the line is simple: they will keep trying until the window shuts. Sources at the club say they intend to pursue Álvarez right up to deadline day on 1 September, seeing him as the ideal long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowski, who left this summer.

Hansi Flick refused to be drawn into the storm. Asked about Álvarez before the Athletic Club match, the Barça head coach replied: “I only want to speak about the situation of the club.”

The political battle, though, is already raging well beyond the touchline.

Arsenal watching the chaos

While the two Spanish clubs trade blows, Arsenal are lurking in the background. The Gunners view Álvarez as a dream signing and have maintained interest throughout the summer.

For now, though, they are simply watching. With Atlético refusing to budge and Barcelona locked in a very public tug of war, sources close to the situation say Arsenal are becoming more realistic about their chances of landing the striker before next week’s deadline.

There is another problem for the Premier League side: Álvarez is understood to want to stay in Spain. That preference, at least for now, keeps La Liga at the heart of the story.

A long-running feud

This row did not start this week. It has been simmering for months.

Barcelona first came forward in May, opening talks and lodging an offer for Álvarez, who joined Atlético from Manchester City in 2024. Atlético’s response was emphatic. They flatly refused to sell to Barça and took the fight online, posting a series of mocking social media messages to their millions of followers and accusing Barcelona of mounting a “smear campaign”.

Álvarez’s future followed him into international duty. He travelled to the World Cup with Argentina with speculation swirling, and the noise only grew louder after the tournament.

Then Real Madrid entered the scene.

In June, Los Blancos made a €150m (£130m) bid, fulfilling president Florentino Pérez’s campaign promise to submit a €150m offer for an unnamed “Galáctico” if re-elected. Even that, astonishingly, was not enough.

Atlético rejected the proposal, with Real Madrid publicly pointing to Álvarez’s €500m (£430m) release clause and claiming Atlético had “expressed its gratitude for the proposal”. Atlético hit back again online, denying any gratitude and repeating that they would not sell Álvarez to Barcelona.

The message was consistent: not for €100m, not for €150m, and not to their great Catalan rivals.

The player’s own words

The only moment the script briefly shifted came after Argentina’s win over Austria in June. Speaking to the media, Álvarez admitted he had spoken with Atlético and said “the best thing for everyone is a transfer”, adding: “I want to fulfil my dream.”

Those comments undercut the club’s insistence that he was not for sale and confirmed what Europe’s elite already suspected: the player was open to leaving. Barcelona and Paris St-Germain were among the clubs reported to be circling.

Even then, Atlético refused to soften. Chief executive Miguel Ángel Gil Marín declared the club would not sell Álvarez “even for 200m euros (£170.8m)”, doubling down on the defiance that has defined their summer.

A window heading for a showdown

As deadline day on 1 September looms, the stakes keep rising. Barcelona maintain their €100m offer is alive. Atlético say there is “0% chance” they will accept it. Real Madrid have already tested the water with a €150m bid and been turned away. Arsenal hover on the periphery, tempted but cautious.

And in the middle of it all stands Julian Álvarez, World Cup winner, booed by his own fans, wanted across Europe, and locked in a transfer saga that shows no sign of easing before the clock runs out.