Atletico Madrid are said to be surprised by suggestions that the club played any role in encouraging Julian Alvarez to publicly speak about his desire to leave.
During the World Cup, the Argentine forward made his position clear while speculation surrounding a possible move to Barcelona continued to grow, stating,
“The best thing for everyone is a transfer; I want to fulfil my dream,”he said at the time amid strong interest from Barcelona.
However, according to Mundo Deportivo, Atletico Madrid have been taken aback by reports suggesting that they somehow pushed Alvarez to make those comments or helped create the situation around his possible departure.
Sources close to the club have made it clear that the player’s decision to speak publicly was not the result of any encouragement from the Atletico hierarchy.
The situation comes at a crucial point in the Julian Alvarez to Barcelona transfer saga, with Barcelona still hoping to find a way to bring the Argentine striker to Camp Nou despite Atletico’s firm stance.
Atletico deny encouraging Alvarez to seek exit
Atletico Madrid have been stunned by recent developments regarding Julian Alvarez. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
According to the outlet, Atletico Madrid’s contact with Alvarez after the end of the season was extremely limited.
The forward left to join Argentina for the World Cup, and the only regular communication came through the usual contact between the club’s fitness staff and players competing in the tournament.
There was no further direct involvement from Atletico Madrid’s senior management after the domestic campaign ended.
That is why the suggestion that the club encouraged Alvarez to publicly push for a transfer has come as a surprise at the Metropolitano.
Alvarez’s comments, therefore, appear to have been his own decision.
Barcelona’s €100 million offer was rejected
Barcelona are still hopeful of landing the Argentine forward. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Barcelona have already made their intentions clear by submitting an offer for Alvarez.
As reported before, the proposal was worth €100 million, structured to be paid across six instalments, which was rejected immediately, with the club unwilling to even consider the terms presented by Barcelona.
Since then, Atletico’s position jas remained firm, and there is currently little indication that they are prepared to make the operation easy for their La Liga rivals.
Barcelona, however, have not lost hope.
The Catalan giants understand the scale of the challenge, but they believe they still have one major factor working in their favour: Alvarez wants to play for Barcelona.