Atletico Madrid chief launches furious attack on Barcelona over Julian Alvarez pursuit

Atletico Madrid’s chief executive has launched a blistering public attack on Barcelona president Joan Laporta, accusing him of staging a “media play” over repeated attempts to sign star forward Julian Alvarez and vowing the Argentine “will not wear a Barcelona shirt next season, whatever the price”.

‘Our refusal is open – he’s not for sale’

Miguel Angel Gil Marin’s explosive statement, reported by Spanish daily Mundo Deportivo, has ignited a fresh crisis between the two La Liga giants just days before Alvarez plays in the 2026 World Cup final for Argentina against Spain in New York.

The timing of the comments is highly charged. A senior Barcelona delegation is currently in New York to attend Sunday’s final, and observers quoted by the newspaper described the move by Atletico as “provocative and deliberate”, aimed at embarrassing the Catalan club in front of the global media.

“I have heard some statements from president Laporta about his offer not being open, and our response is that our refusal is indeed open; we do not want to sell him,” Gil Marin said.

“We will not accept a €100m offer, and we will not accept an offer of €150m or €200m.”

Accusations of ‘theatre’ in Barcelona’s transfer strategy

Gil Marin then escalated his rhetoric, directly attacking the way he believes Barcelona conduct their transfer business in public.

“I know the close circle around the rival club very well, and I know they behave in front of the media and the fans as part of their own play,” he said, in a clear swipe at Barcelona’s communication strategy around signings.

The Atletico executive revealed he had personally asked Laporta to change course, but said his appeals had been ignored.

“I have a good personal relationship with their president, and I have explicitly asked him to step back, making it clear that Julian is not for sale,” he added. “Even so, they insist on this stance because it feeds the media and social game.”

‘Shameful’ towards fans – and the player

Gil Marin went further, condemning Barcelona’s continued public positioning over Alvarez as disrespectful to both their own supporters and the player himself.

“They know perfectly well that Julian Alvarez will not play for Barcelona next season,” he said. “The shameful thing is that they continue with this narrative in front of their fans and, worse still, in front of the player himself.”

Alvarez, 27, is one of the key figures in Argentina’s attack and will line up in Sunday’s World Cup final against a Spain squad that includes eight Barcelona players. The showpiece at MetLife Stadium is being seen in Spain as not only a clash for the world title, but also a politically charged encounter between a national team built largely around Barca’s core and a forward who is at the centre of an off-pitch battle between Barca and Atletico.

Agent also in firing line

The Atletico CEO did not spare Alvarez’s representative, Fernando Hidalgo, accusing the agent of pushing the player in the wrong direction since the end of the club season.

Gil Marin claimed Hidalgo had been giving “bad advice” to the forward, while insisting he still trusted Alvarez’s professionalism on and off the pitch and expected his “performance and behaviour to remain exemplary”.

Atletico’s hardline stance is designed to send a clear message not only to Barcelona, but to any other European heavyweight monitoring Alvarez’s situation: the player is not available, at any price.

Barcelona choose silence amid escalating row

Barcelona sources, speaking to Mundo Deportivo, said the Catalan club’s hierarchy had decided not to take the bait and would not engage in a war of words with Gil Marin.

According to those sources, Barca intend to “keep silent and wait to see what happens after the World Cup ends on Sunday”, refusing to respond publicly to the accusations of staging a “media play”.

Privately, Barcelona are understood to be wary of further inflaming relations with Atletico, a club they must regularly negotiate with in the Spanish market, while also conscious that any public escalation could unsettle Spain’s players on the eve of the World Cup final.

For now, the focus shifts to New York, where Alvarez will attempt to fire Argentina to another world title, even as his club future remains at the heart of a deepening feud between two of Spain’s biggest clubs.