Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has set the record straight on the possibility of Julian Alvarez leaving the club amid links with Barcelona.
The striker made the switch from Manchester City to Atletico last summer for £81.5 million (€96.8m, £109m) in a fee that raised a few eyebrows.
But Alvarez has made many eat their own words after scoring 29 goals and bagging six assists in 53 appearances for the Spanish giants.
That has seen the Argentine international linked with a Barcelona move, with Blaugrana president Joan Laporta previously admitting he “likes” the forward.
Cerezo has since wasted no time in saying that Alvarez is not going anywhere, while quipping that he would “like” to sign Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal – while suggesting both deals are unlikely.
He said, via Fabrizio Romano: “Julián Álvarez is a player of Atlético de Madrid, he’s very happy here, he is our player and he will remain our player. He was raised at Atlético de Madrid and he will die at Atlético de Madrid.”
“Well, I like Lamine Yamal. We have the same taste,” Cerezo added, laughing.
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Agent confirms Liverpool’s past interest in Alvarez
Before Alvarez joined Atletico following his much-publicised falling out with City boss Pep Guardiola, his agent, Fernando Hidalgo, claimed Liverpool were interested in the 25-year-old.
He told Win-Win: “I confirm that Liverpool was interested in Julian last season (last summer).”
Hidalgo also gave little away when asked about where Alvarez may end up in the future, despite the Argentine having five years left on his current deal.
He added: “As for the future, it’s not the time to talk about it, as Julián is competing in important tournaments and is fully focused on them.”
Liverpool are back in the market for a new number nine as they seek to offload expensive flop Darwin Nunez ahead of next season.
But it seems unlikely they would move for Alvarez, as he reportedly is valued at around the £100m (€118.8m, $133.7m) mark.
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