Atlético Madrid issues an official statement regarding the sale of Álvarez to Barcelona

The end of the debate

Atletico Madrid broke their silence on Thursday, setting out exactly where they stand on selling striker Julian Alvarez to Barcelona this summer.

Alvarez had announced his desire to leave Atletico while on duty with Argentina at the 2026 World Cup. The move angered the Madrid club.

Barcelona sit top of the queue for the Argentine, and the Catalans badly want him. Atletico, though, are just as determined to keep him.

Fuelling the row over his future, Alvarez skipped Atletico training for a second straight day as the squad prepared to face Sevilla on Saturday.

Atletico laid it all out in a statement on their official website: "The members of Atletico Madrid's board of directors have unanimously expressed their full support for the club's decision not to negotiate the transfer of Julian Alvarez to Barcelona."

They added: "The members of the board of directors are aware that Atletico Madrid is open to the usual negotiations in the transfer market, but always in an ethical and professional manner, with mutual respect between the two clubs. We fully support the position previously announced by the club that Barcelona did not adhere to these conditions, and therefore, there have been and will be no negotiations with them regarding the transfer of Julian Alvarez."

The statement went on: "Atletico Madrid trusts that our player will understand the decision, and will focus on working to the best of his abilities to help the club achieve its goals, as he has already done in the two seasons in which he has defended our colours."

The Argentine is under contract at Atletico until 2030.