Atletico Madrid CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin has insisted the club will not sell Julian Alvarez to Arsenal or Barcelona, claiming the Argentine forward has been poorly advised during the summer transfer window. His comments come after Arsenal made a fresh approach to sign the 26-year-old, with the Gunners indicating they would be willing to pay in excess of £100 million.
Arsenal and Barcelona both interested in Alvarez
Arsenal have made a new bid to bring Alvarez to the Premier League, but the player's preference is reportedly a move to Barcelona. Alvarez publicly stated during the World Cup that he wants to leave Atletico before the end of the transfer window. Barcelona have already had a €100m (£85.5m) offer rejected by Atletico earlier this summer, and the Spanish club's approach has angered the Madrid side, who are now refusing to negotiate with the La Liga champions.
Fan abuse and boardroom defiance
The situation has led to tension among supporters. Alvarez faced abuse from a section of Atletico fans during Wednesday's 2-0 win over Malaga at home, with chants directed against him. On Friday, signs reading 'Julian OUT' were seen outside the club's training ground.
Speaking to EFE on Friday, Gil Marin defended the club's position and accused rival clubs of disrespect in their pursuit of the Argentina international. 'Atletico Madrid, like all great clubs, is built with great players, and I'm certain that Julian is one, as well as a great professional,' Gil Marin said.
CEO blames advisors and media for disruption
'We must compete based on our values, with homegrown talent and the best players from outside that we can bring in. We are going to help Julian and continue to take care of him so that he can give us his full potential, because we need him to continue competing among the greats of Europe,' he added.
Gil Marin also suggested that Alvarez has not received sound guidance regarding his career. 'We must understand that Julian has not had the best advisors around him regarding his professional career in recent months,' he said.
The CEO went on to criticise external influences, saying: 'We cannot allow other clubs and their affiliated media to dictate what we have to do, dictate our sporting strategy, and disrespect us. That's precisely what they're trying to do – divide us. It's clear we're not as powerful as they are but we have values. We Atletico fans won't let them corrupt us. Atleti is strong when we're all together.'
