Julian Alvarez will not play in Atletico Madrid‘s LaLiga opener, but coach Diego Simeone reaffirmed the club’s stance that he will not be joining Barcelona.
Alvarez this summer made his desire to join the LaLiga champions public, revealing during the World Cup that he informed Atletico of his wish to “fulfil his dream”.
However, Atletico have made it clear they are not willing to acquiesce to his request, with CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin stating the club would reject offers as high as €200million (£171m) for the Argentina forward.
And, because of the strength of Gil’s stance, Simeone believes the matter is now closed.
“Miguel Angel is the club’s owner,” Simeone said ahead of Wednesday’s game with newly promoted Malaga.
“Nothing is more definitive than the club’s owner, it’s crystal clear. It’s like when a judge hands down a ruling: ‘Dismissed’.
“What he said is crystal clear. From a sports perspective, we want to look out for the person, the player, so he can continue to uphold his reputation.
“We don’t see him playing in this game. I hope that over the next four days, he’ll be closer to where we want him to be.”
While Alvarez is set to miss the start of the new league campaign, Simeone is hopeful he will be available to face Villarreal on Sunday.
“I still feel the same way I did the other day in Korea [during Atletico’s pre-season tour]. I handle the sporting side of things,” Simeone added.
“We talked as we always do and I understand that, from a sporting standpoint, he still needs to step it up a bit to be in top form for Sunday.
“He needs more practice. He’s the best player we have and we’re going to try to build a team around him, keeping his level in mind.”
Alvarez has scored 49 goals and provided 17 assists since joining from Manchester City in 2024.
