Atletico Madrid CEO Gil Marin has spoken out on the Julian Alvarez transfer saga once again in a statement that may well finally spell the end of Barcelona’s interest in the player.
Marin has once again said Atletico have no intention of selling Alvarez, despite the forward saying during the World Cup he wants to leave, and also responded to Joan Laporta’s claim that Barca’s offer wasn’t unlimited.
“Atlético, like all great clubs, is built with great players, and I’m certain that Julián is one, as
well as a great professional. We must compete based on our values, with homegrown talent and with the best players from outside that we can bring in,” he told EFE .
“My opinion is clear, the club’s will is clear, we have made this clear to the player and his agent, and to the Barça president. I have no doubt that Atlético is the right place in the world for Julián, and Julián is the perfect striker for Atlético Madrid. We want to keep him,
“I simply heard some statements from the president (Laporta), saying that his offer wasn’t open-ended. And our response is that our answer is indeed open-ended; we don’t want to transfer him. We didn’t accept the €100 million offer, nor will we accept one of €150 million or €200 million.”
Marin went on to say that Alvarez would stay at the club and insisted he had not had the best people advising him throughout the summer.
“We are going to help Julián and continue to take care of him so that he can give us his full potential, because we need him to keep competing among the best in Europe. We must understand that Julián hasn’t had the best advisors around him regarding his professional career in recent months,” he added.
“That other clubs and their affiliated media tell us what to do, dictate our sporting strategy, and disrespect us. That’s precisely what they want: to divide us. It’s clear we’re not as powerful as them, but we have values. We Atlético fans won’t allow them to corrupt us. Atleti is strong when we’re all together.”
Barcelona must surely now look elsewhere for a new forward, while Alvarez looks destined to stay and faces a tough time after riling many Atletico fans by asking to leave.
