Atletico Madrid‘s board has given its unanimous support to the decision not to negotiate a sale of Julian Alvarez to Barcelona.
Alvarez is under contract at the Metropolitano until 2030 but has stated his desire to fulfil his “dream” by moving to Camp Nou.
The Argentina forward was booed and walked straight down the tunnel at full-time of Atletico’s LaLiga opener, a 2-2 draw with Villarreal, having come on as a second-half substitute.
Alvarez missed training on Wednesday, reportedly due to illness, as Atletico hit back at comments from Joan Laporta, with the Barca president saying the club retained an interest in the former Manchester City star because of the suggestion the Rojiblancos would be willing to sell to Arsenal.
In response, Atletico said there was a “0% chance” of Alvarez being sold to Barca.
And in a statement released on Thursday, the club announced its board is fully behind that stance.
It read: “The members of Atlético de Madrid’s Board of Directors have unanimously expressed their absolute support for the club’s decision to not negotiate the transfer of Julián Alvarez to FC Barcelona.
“The members of the Board of Directors acknowledge that “Atlético de Madrid is open to standard transfer market negotiations when conducted in a professional, ethical and respectful manner. We fully stand behind the club’s previously communicated position that FC Barcelona failed to meet these requirements and, as a result, there will not be any negotiation and there is zero consideration of an Alvarez transfer to Barcelona.”
“Atlético de Madrid trust that our player will understand the decision and will remain focused on helping the club achieve its goals, just as he has done during the two seasons he has been defending our colours.”