Atletico Madrid insists Julián Álvarez will not be sold to Barcelona

MADRID (AP) — Atletico Madrid’s stance on Julián Álvarez is now official: The Argentina star will not be sold to Barcelona.

The back-and-forth between the clubs over Álvarez has made it the transfer saga of the summer in European soccer.

But Atletico released a statement Thursday, saying its board of directors “have unanimously expressed their absolute support for the club’s decision to not negotiate the transfer of Julián Alvarez to Barcelona.”

“Atletico Madrid is open to standard transfer market negotiations when conducted in a professional, ethical and respectful manner,” the statement read. “We fully stand behind the club’s previously communicated position that Barcelona failed to meet these requirements and, as a result, there will not be any negotiation and there is zero consideration of an Alvarez transfer to Barcelona.”

Atletico CEO Miguel Ángel Gil Marín later told Movistar that people were “deceiving and confusing” the player.

“He’s a great professional and player, and he’s very confused and going through a very difficult situation at a personal and professional level,” Gil Marín said.

The Atletico official harshly criticized Barcelona.

“We are disgusted by the falsehood, by the lack of ethics, of transparency, of professionalism,” he said. “We must insist that we are not going to negotiate with Barcelona under no circumstances.”

Premier League champion Arsenal is also reportedly interested in signing Álvarez, whose buyout clause is reportedly 500 million euros ($582 million).

Yet Atletico’s statement intimated that he won’t be going anywhere.

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“Atletico Madrid trust that our player will understand the decision and will remain focused on helping the club achieve its goals,” it read, “just as he has done during the two seasons he has been defending our colors.”

Álvarez was left out of Atletico’s squad for the Spanish league opener and was booed by the team’s fans in its match Sunday, when he came on as a substitute.

The striker did not train with Atletico on Wednesday, the same day Barcelona president Joan Laporta said his club maintained its offer to sign the 26-year-old Álvarez and that “it appears that the player wants to come to Barça.”

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See AP’s full soccer coverage here