Atletico Madrid rule out Barcelona move for Julian Alvarez as feud escalates

Julian Alvarez is 'really unwell' and has missed back-to-back Atletico Madrid training sessions through illness, as the standoff between the Rojiblancos and Barcelona reaches breaking point. CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin delivered an unequivocal warning on Thursday: the Argentine striker will not be transferred to Barcelona under any circumstances as long as he remains in charge of the club.

• Julian Alvarez sat out training on Wednesday and Thursday due to illness and is a doubt for Saturday's trip to Sevilla.
• Gil Marin insists there will be no negotiations with Barcelona 'under any circumstances' and accuses the Catalan club of lacking ethics and transparency.
• Barcelona vice-president Rafa Yuste says Gil Marin's comments are 'out of line' and show a 'lack of education and respect'.
• Atletico's position remains unchanged: Alvarez could only leave for a club willing to pay 150 million euros, and never to the Camp Nou.
• Arsenal are the only side reportedly prepared to consider an operation of that magnitude.

Atletico Madrid slam the door shut on Barcelona over Julian Alvarez

With six days left before the transfer window closes on Tuesday at midnight, the landscape leaves no room for doubt. Gil Marin has insisted since late May that there is no negotiation with Barcelona over Julian Alvarez, and there never will be. That stance hardened when the Catalan club's alleged contacts with the player, who is under contract until 2030, exhausted the patience of the Madrid club's hierarchy.

Joan Laporta's intervention on Wednesday, when the Barcelona president said the club's offer remained on the table, pushed Atletico's anger to a new level. 'It makes me even more indignant. We are disgusted by the falsehood, the lack of ethics, the lack of transparency, the lack of professionalism, and we can only insist that we will not negotiate with Barcelona under any circumstances,' Gil Marin told Movistar.

Rafa Yuste hits back: 'His words infuriate me'

The war of words did not stop on one side. Rafa Yuste, Barcelona's sporting vice-president, crossed paths with Gil Marin at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco during the 2026-27 Champions League draw. They greeted each other, exchanged a few words, and then each gave their version to the cameras.

We exchanged a few words and shared our feelings. I told them what I said on camera: we are calm because we have never acted outside sporting and professional parameters as a club.

Yuste went even further when assessing the Atletico chief's remarks, calling them 'out of line' and a sign of a 'lack of education and respect'. 'Our president, our technical director, our sporting director, the whole club is an example of hard work, professionalism and doing things well for many years. These words cross a red line. I do not understand them at all. I do not share them. His words infuriate me,' the vice-president added.

How the Atletico-Barcelona feud began: harassment accusations over Julian Alvarez

The feud between the two clubs has been brewing for months. Atletico reported a campaign of 'harassment and undermining' aimed at Julian Alvarez by Barcelona, including accusations that the Catalan club contacted the player before the Champions League and Copa del Rey knockout ties between the two sides last season. That episode led to an extraordinary disciplinary procedure opened by the Spanish Football Federation's Disciplinary Committee.

The turning point arrived on June 22, when Julian Alvarez publicly asked to be sold to Barcelona after Argentina's match against Austria at the 2026 World Cup. Since then, the striker returned to pre-season training with a serious look on his face, played last Sunday against Villarreal amid jeers from a section of the Metropolitano crowd when he came on in the 66th minute, and is now missing sessions through an illness that began on Tuesday night.

Julian Alvarez's fitness and his situation at Atletico Madrid

The forward started feeling unwell on Tuesday night and did not train on Wednesday or Thursday. The squad returns to training on Friday in Majadahonda to prepare for Saturday's match against Sevilla, with no confirmation on whether the World Cup winner will be available.

Gil Marin showed understanding for the player's personal situation, while pointing the finger at his inner circle. 'He is really unwell because there have been people who have taken it upon themselves to deceive and confuse him. I am very sorry about that, because I know him, we have been working with him for a long time, he is a great person, a great professional and a great footballer, completely confused and currently going through a very, very difficult personal and professional situation,' the CEO explained.

Among those singled out by Atletico is Fernando Hidalgo, the player's agent, who the club accuses of poor advice. The Rojiblancos, owned since last March by U.S. fund Apollo Sports Capital, say the other eleven members of the board of directors unanimously back Gil Marin's strategy.

Julian Alvarez's exit options: 150 million euros and no road to the Camp Nou

Two and a half months have passed since Barcelona submitted their only formal offer: 100 million euros payable in six instalments at the end of May, a proposal rejected in Madrid. Atletico told the player he could leave if a club paid 150 million euros before June 20, a condition nobody met.

The current landscape leaves the striker with very few alternatives. He either stays at Atletico, an option the club considers desirable, or he moves to a club other than Barcelona and Real Madrid that is willing to get close to the 150 million euro asking price, a figure that could drop depending on the negotiation. According to the English press, Arsenal are the only club currently considering an operation of that size.

With 107 appearances and 49 goals for Atletico, Julian Alvarez has spent two seasons defending the club's colours. Atletico are confident he will 'understand the decision' not to be sold to Barcelona and will focus on helping the team achieve its objectives. 'Our intention, and my personal dream, is for him to stay with us and continue his service at Atletico Madrid. To compete with the big clubs you need big players. Obviously, if he came to the conclusion that staying in Madrid and at Atletico is untenable, we would look for an alternative, but never to Barcelona,' Gil Marin declared.