Diego Simeone has reinforced Atletico Madrid’s firm position on Julian Alvarez, insisting the club have made a clear decision over the Argentina international amid continued interest from Barcelona and Arsenal.
Alvarez has emerged as one of the biggest names in this summer’s transfer market, with Barcelona understood to be particularly keen on securing the 26-year-old forward. Arsenal are also monitoring the situation closely, but Atletico have repeatedly insisted their prized attacker is not available for transfer.
Simeone was asked about Alvarez’s future on Saturday and delivered a firm response, echoing the stance already made public by Atletico chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin
“The situation is very clear, the club made a decision that Miguel Angel [Gil Marin] explained very well,” Simeone said in Seoul on Saturday.
“From the sporting side, we are very happy to have a player like Julian, and from a sporting perspective we will help him to continue growing, to continue improving, and to give us back what he has given us over these two years, which was a great deal.
“We have some precedents, we already saw what happened with Griezmann, I don’t see any other way than to work from a sporting perspective as we have to and try to help as we have done these past two years.”
ARSENAL, meanwhile, remain interested in Alvarez as Mikel Arteta looks to strengthen his attacking options. The Gunners could potentially benefit if Atletico were to consider selling to an English club rather than strengthening a domestic rival, although the latest comments from Simeone suggest there is currently little appetite for any transfer.
Alvarez remains under contract with Atletico and is regarded as central to Simeone’s plans. His importance to the team has only increased since his arrival from Manchester City, making the club reluctant to entertain offers regardless of their size.
For now, Atletico’s message is unmistakable: Alvarez is staying
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