Julian Alvarez’s future has become one of the biggest talking points ahead of the summer transfer window.
Several European giants are closely monitoring the Atletico Madrid forward after another impressive campaign in Spain.
Arsenal have shown particularly strong interest in the Argentine international in recent months.
Mikel Arteta’s side want to prioritise attacking reinforcements this summer, and Alvarez has emerged as one of the club’s major targets.
Meanwhile, Barcelona have also been heavily linked with the forward in recent weeks.
The La Liga champions are searching for long-term attacking additions to replace the departing Robert Lewandowski.
Also, Julian Alvarez reportedly views the Catalan side as an ambitious sporting project capable of competing consistently for major trophies.
However, Atletico Madrid are now growing increasingly frustrated with the constant speculation surrounding the player’s future.
According to MARCA, Atletico Madrid have firmly informed interested clubs that Julian Alvarez is not for sale this summer despite growing interest from Arsenal and Barcelona.
The Spanish club reportedly issued a strong internal response regarding the rumours. They said:
“We are tired of months of lies, half-truths, harassment of our players in mixed zones, and absurd questions that are all part of a pre-arranged campaign. Julian is not for sale.
“There has been no offer for our player, nor any meeting. It’s just agent talk. Julian has behaved impeccably at all times, giving his all on the pitch and demonstrating maximum professionalism.
“We know he didn’t cause all this noise – he has always behaved perfectly.”
The Spanish outlet also report that the former Manchester City striker would prefer a move to Barcelona over Arsenal as he believes the Catalan club offer a stronger long-term sporting project.
The 26-year-old currently has four years remaining on his contract, which reportedly includes a €500 million release clause.
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