Julian Alvarez trained as normal under Diego Simeone at Atletico de Madrid on Wednesday, with reports continuing to link the Argentina striker with a move to Barcelona during the current summer transfer window.
The session also marked the first meeting between Simeone and his son, Giuliano Simeone, since the younger Argentina forward spoke during the World Cup about his desire to leave Atletico in pursuit of his ambition. The pair were both involved at the club’s Madrid training ground.
Several reports have suggested that Julian Alvarez is pushing strongly for a transfer to Barcelona. Atletico remain determined to retain the player’s services, however, leaving his future at the club under close scrutiny.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the atmosphere at Wednesday’s session was entirely normal. The newspaper reported that Alvarez worked like any other member of the squad under Simeone’s instructions and that the manager did not hesitate to include him in the starting team for tactical work.
Alvarez was paired with Thomas Lemar during that part of the session, as Simeone prepared his players for the tactical exercises.
A conversation between the coach and the Argentina international had been expected. It is not known whether that discussion took place, but Mundo Deportivo confirmed that Alvarez left Atletico’s training ground at 11:00 BST, at the same time as the rest of his team-mates.
On the pitch next to pitch four, Alvarez took part in an additional physical training session alongside Giuliano Simeone, Koke, Lemar, Marcos Llorente, Rodrigo Riquelme, Marc Pubill and Alex Grimaldo. The group worked under fitness coach Luis Pinedo, with Diego Simeone passing by at one point to watch his players.
Alvarez appeared slightly isolated during the 15 minutes of training made available to the media. He spoke only with Lemar while the cameras focused on him.
Koke, Baena and Llorente, meanwhile, exchanged jokes and appeared unconcerned by the attention being directed towards their team-mate. The session then moved on to tactical work.
The training-ground meeting comes as speculation continues over Alvarez’s position at Atletico. Reports have indicated that the striker wants to join Barcelona, while the Madrid club are maintaining their stance that they want him to stay.
For now, Alvarez completed the session alongside his Atletico colleagues under Simeone’s supervision. The club’s training arrangements provided no public indication of a change in his situation, while the expected conversation between the manager and player remained unconfirmed.
