Barcelona President Joan Laporta has expressed interest in signing Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez. Barcelona has since restated their desire to sign the Argentine international, continuing speculation over the player's future.
Atletico Madrid has responded angrily to these pursuits, firmly ruling out a transfer to their La Liga rivals. Chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin accused Barcelona of dishonesty, stating that Alvarez would "never, ever" be sold to them. This position was unanimously backed by Atletico's Board of Directors, who confirmed there is "zero consideration" of a transfer and ruled out any talks with the Catalan club.
Following the news that the club would not sell him to Barcelona, Alvarez has reportedly not attended Atletico Madrid training. While the club has slammed the door on Barcelona, the forward is also reportedly being targeted by Arsenal.