Julian Alvarez has been linked with Arsenal and Barcelona (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has made his first public statements on the future of Julian Alvarez since his star forward declared a desire to leave the club last month. Alvarez has been courted by Barcelona, as well as Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, and is reportedly keen on a move to the Catalan club.
Despite that, Atletico Madrid have been adamant that not only is Alvarez not for sale, but that Barcelona cannot afford him. Simeone held little bitterness towards Alvarez though, and left the door open to continue at the club.
“He is an extraordinary footballer, the best player we have at Atletico Madrid; his numbers speak for themselves. He has shown great consistency and has made a real impact on the team, proving himself to be a special kind of player. We are very happy with his work; I can’t say anything other than what I’ve already told you, because he has conducted himself well as a person. He is a guy who has always worked in the best possible way for the good of the team,” he said to ESPN.
“EL MEJOR FUTBOLISTA QUE TENEMOS EN EL ATLÉTICO DE MADRID, ENTRE LOS MEJORES 5 DEL MUNDO ESTÁ SIN DUDAS. SI SE QUEDA TENEMOS PENSADO GENERAR EL JUEGO ALREDEDOR DE ÉL”
? ATENCIÓN: ¡El Cholo Simeone habló sobre el futuro de Julián Álvarez, destacó que se comportó bien como… pic.twitter.com/aB76pUqNoP
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) July 3, 2026
Diego Simeone meets with Julian Alvarez
Julian Alvarez celebrates scoring for Atletico Madrid against Barcelona (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)
Simeone went on to confirm that he spoke to Alvarez during a visit to the Argentina national team at their World Cup base, albeit not one specifically to see Alvarez.
“I actually ran into Giuliano and spent a little while chatting with him, mostly about how things were going for him, the state of his ankle, and his importance to the team. He told me he was doing really well and was back to 100%. I think that in the second match, regardless of not being as sharp as he usually is, he already showed a different rhythm of play and a different intensity in his movements,…
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