Julian Alvarez has taken a fresh step to try to persuade Atletico de Madrid to sanction a summer move to Barcelona, but Diego Simeone has told the club’s players that the decision rests solely with the board.
The Argentina international did not train with his team-mates for a second successive day on Thursday, missing the session at Atletico’s Cerro del Espino training ground in Majadahonda.
Atletico again attributed the striker’s absence to “illness”. However, the situation surrounding Alvarez is becoming increasingly difficult, with only four days remaining before the transfer window closes.
The club has already published a statement on its official website making clear that it will not negotiate with Barcelona over the player’s transfer. Despite that position, Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo has reported details of Alvarez’s latest attempt to find a way through the dispute and realise his ambition of playing for Barcelona.
According to the report, Alvarez contacted Atletico’s senior figures Koke, Jan Oblak and Jose Maria Gimenez. He asked the club captains to help resolve his situation with Atletico and create the possibility of negotiations with Barcelona.
The approach did not lead to a change in the club’s stance. Simeone told the players that they were unable to intervene and could not do anything to help Alvarez, because the matter was for Atletico alone to decide.
The latest developments leave the forward’s future uncertain as the deadline approaches. His consecutive absences from training have intensified attention on the situation, particularly after Atletico publicly rejected the prospect of discussing a transfer with Barcelona.
Alvarez’s reported appeal to his team-mates represents a new route in his efforts to secure a move, but Simeone’s response indicates that the dressing room will not be allowed to influence the club’s position.
Atletico’s statement and the manager’s message both point to the same conclusion: any decision on whether Alvarez can leave will be made by the club, rather than by the player, the captains or the coaching staff.
For now, Barcelona’s stated position in the story remains dependent on Atletico being willing to negotiate, while Alvarez’s absence from training has added further uncertainty with the transfer deadline just days away.
