Julian Alvarez will not be sold to Barcelona.
That is Atletico’s unequivocal position after their La Liga rivals made a public plea earlier on Wednesday for the sale of the Argentina forward.
The two sides have been engaged in an uncomfortable tug-of-war over the former Manchester City star with Barca’s initial transfer offer of €100 million laughed off.
“This is not about money, it’s about dignity,” Atletico said in a statement. “The player is being victimized, but the only victim in the Julian case is us. They have harmed us economically and socially. There is a zero per-cent chance of selling him to Barca. There is a campaign of many lies and half-truths. The only one paying for this is Atletico.”
Earlier in the day, Barca president Joan Laporta appeared in a video released by the team website.
“It seems that the player wants to come to Barca, and therefore we continue to hold on to our hope, our intention -- always with the utmost respect for Atletico Madrid -- of being able to sign the player,” Laporta said.
Alvarez, 26, is in his third season at the Metropolitano following an £81.8 million move from City. He has 49 goals in 107 appearances across all competitions. After Argentina’s victory over Austria at this summer’s World Cup, Alvarez confirmed he was interested in a transfer. He was booed heavily by his own supporters when brought on as a substitute in the team’s 2-2 draw with Villarreal on Sunday.
The transfer window shuts in most countries on Sept. 1.
