Atletico slam campaign of lies around Julian Alvarez transfer as Arsenal given hope
Atletico Madrid reportedly feel “victimised” by the ongoing Julian Alvarez transfer saga, which is seemingly turning increasingly bitter.
Ever since Alvarez said he wanted to leave Atletico and “fulfil his dream” in late June, amid links with Barcelona, the topic of the striker’s future has arguably been the biggest story of the summer window.
Fast forward to last weekend and Atletico’s fans made their thoughts clear about the 26-year-old, who was roundly booed in their 2-2 draw with Villarreal during his second-half introduction.
Due to his apparent efforts to leave the club this summer, reports have suggested that Atletico are open to selling him to Arsenal, but a switch to La Liga rivals Barcelona seems remote.
Now, reports in Spain suggest Diego Simeone’s team are furious with Alvarez’s conduct in recent months and as a result, they will not countenance a Barcelona switch.
READ: Arsenal: Deal ‘agreed’ with Gunners to smash transfer record – Fabrizio Romano
Moreover, it is claimed that there has been a campaign of “many lies and half-truths” and that Atletico has been made to suffer as a result.
Marca‘s alleged sources at Atletico state, “The player is being victimised, but the only victim of the Julián case is us. They have harmed us economically and socially.
“There is 0% chance of selling him to Barça. This situation is not about money, it is about dignity. A campaign has been created with many lies and half-truths. The only one who pays this is Atletico.”
Alvarez swapped Manchester City for Atletico in the summer of 2024, where he signed a six-year deal. However, at this rate, it seems very unlikely that he will see out that contract.
Over the past two seasons, he has scored 49 goals and added 17 assists in 107 games. That, and more, has reportedly prompted Arsenal to consider breaking the English transfer record (£125million on Alexander Isak from Newcastle United to Liverpool) to sign the Argentine.
READ MORE: Arsenal learn Alvarez decision on transfer as Arteta makes call for giant summer deal
The reports in Spain suggest Arsenal have a chance of signing him, but Barcelona president Joan Laporta suggested things are more cordial between the La Liga teams.
Barcelona remain desperate to sign Julian Alvarez
He said their interest in the Argentina international remains but until they can find a replacement for Alvarez, it seems a deal is farfetched.
He said on Wednesday, “We are still very interested in Julián Álvarez. We would like them to accept our offer, and we are doing so with the utmost respect for Atlético de Madrid. We would like to understand each other.
“I want to say that we have great respect for Atletico Madrid and its leaders. We have known each other for many years. I want to explain how it went. We made a club-to-club offer. I ratified this offer in a personal telephone conversation with Miguel Ángel Gil.
“They told me that they had no intention of selling because they had no alternative to Julián and I told them that we were interested, but that we respected that they did not want to sell, although if they found an alternative within this market, we were interested in making the signing.”
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