For weeks now, the future of Julian Alvarez has remained one of the biggest talking points surrounding Atletico Madrid, and the latest comments from Diego Simeone have only added more fuel to the speculation.
The Argentine forward continues to attract strong interest across Europe after another impressive individual campaign despite Atletico Madrid’s disappointing end to the season.
Among the clubs closely monitoring the situation is Barcelona, who see Alvarez as one of the priority names to strengthen their attack in the near future.
There are other competitors too
While Alvarez has publicly maintained that he is happy in Madrid, there is still no full certainty regarding his continuity next season.
That uncertainty has naturally opened the door to growing transfer rumours, especially with clubs like Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal also believed to be keeping a close eye on developments.
Julian Alvarez, Atletico Madrid player
Julian Alvarez could leave Atletico Madrid. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Any possible operation would likely demand well over €100 million, making it one of the biggest transfer sagas of the summer.
Simeone refuses to close the door
Atletico Madrid’s season ended disastrously following a 1-5 defeat against Villarreal.
It capped off a difficult final stretch for Simeone’s side, who had already suffered disappointment in multiple competitions.
The club lost the Copa del Rey final against Real Sociedad, exited the Champions League semi-finals against Arsenal, and also endured a frustrating league campaign.
Julian Alvarez and Marcos Llorente of Atletico Madrid
Simeone refused to give a definitive answer on Alvarez’s future. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Following the defeat to Villarreal, Simeone was questioned about Alvarez’s future at the club.
Instead of shutting down the rumours, the Atletico boss delivered a response that immediately caught attention.
“That’s not a question for me, it’s a question for Julian,” he said, as quoted by SPORT.
“He’s old enough to know what he’s going to do, and I imagine he’s probably already made up his mind,” he concluded.