Atletico Madrid's chief executive, Miguel Angel Gil Marin, has declared that Julian Alvarez will "never, ever" be sold to Barcelona, accusing the Catalan club of "dishonesty" and a lack of ethics in their pursuit of the Argentina forward. Speaking to Spanish broadcaster Movistar Plus on Thursday, Gil Marin delivered a firm response to Barcelona president Joan Laporta, who had stated on Wednesday that his club remained "very interested" in signing Alvarez.
Atletico's united stance against Barcelona
Gil Marin said Atletico were united from top to bottom in refusing to negotiate with Barcelona over a deal for a player they insist is not for sale to their La Liga rivals. "The truth is that it outrages us even more; we are repulsed by the dishonesty, the lack of ethics, transparency and professionalism, and we can only insist that we will not negotiate with Barcelona under any circumstances," Gil Marin said.
"I have the support of everyone working with me, from shareholders to directors, and the only certain and firm decision is that we will not negotiate with Barcelona under any circumstances," he added. "You have my word – the player [Alvarez] will most certainly not be transferred to Barcelona."
Barcelona's angry reaction
The Barcelona vice-president, Rafa Yuste, reacted angrily to Gil Marin's remarks. "It is a lack of manners and respect," Yuste told Movistar. "With those words, they've crossed a red line." Earlier on Thursday, Atletico's board of directors unanimously backed the club's stance on Alvarez, ruling out talks with Barcelona and saying there was "zero consideration" of a transfer before the summer transfer window closes.
Gil Marin said the situation had affected Alvarez. "Julian is really struggling; there have been people who have set out to deceive and confuse him, and I'm very sorry about that," Gil Marin said. Alvarez was booed by Atleti fans during their 2-2 home draw with Villarreal on Sunday, having stated his desire to leave. While on World Cup duty with Argentina this summer, the 26-year-old revealed he wanted to "fulfil my dream" by departing the club.
Future and alternatives
"I know him and we've been working with him for some time," Gil Marin added. "He's a great professional and footballer, but he's very confused and going through a very difficult time, both personally and professionally." Arsenal have also been linked with a move for the former Manchester City forward, but Gil Marin said his preference was for the player to remain in Madrid beyond Tuesday's deadline.
"Our intention and my personal dream is for him to stay with us, to remain at Atletico," he said. "To compete amongst the greats, you need great players, and Julian is one. If he believes that staying at Atletico is no longer feasible, we will look for an alternative, but it will never, ever be Barcelona."
Barcelona's season opener
In related news, Barcelona began their home campaign with a 2-0 win over Athletic Club at Camp Nou. Raphinha and Fermin Lopez scored in either half, with Rodri making his debut off the bench. Raphinha opened the scoring in the 37th minute, rounding goalkeeper Unai Simon after Pedri's through ball split the Athletic defence. Fermin sealed the win in the 82nd when he pounced on Aymeric Laporte's defensive error from Karim Adeyemi's low cross and finished from inside the penalty box.
Hansi Flick's side controlled most of the game and created the better chances, although Simon kept the visitors in contention with several important saves. Flick also handed winger Anthony Gordon his full debut, with Rodri coming on for Raphinha to make his first appearance for Barcelona. "Happy to play my first match," Rodri told Dazn after the game. "It is important for me to regain my rhythm and adapt to this great team. It has been a long summer … I'm very happy, I am where I wanted to be. Now we have to work."
