Atlético Madrid's chief executive has effectively told Barcelona to take their interest elsewhere, with a side of contempt. Miguel Ángel Gil Marín, in a blistering interview with Movistar Plus, accused the Catalan club of 'dishonesty' and insisted the Argentina forward would 'never, ever' be sold to them.
This all stems from Barcelona's president, Joan Laporta, who on Wednesday declared the club remained 'very interested' in signing Alvarez. Gil Marín, clearly not in the mood for pleasantries, said Atlético were united in refusing to negotiate with Barcelona over a player they insist is not for sale to their La Liga rivals.
'The truth is that it outrages us even more; we are repulsed by the dishonesty, the lack of ethics, transparency and professionalism, and we can only insist that we will not negotiate with Barcelona under any circumstances,' Gil Marín said, presumably while polishing a trophy or something equally dramatic.
He added, with the weight of a man who has just been asked to sell his firstborn: 'I have the support of everyone working with me, from shareholders to directors, and the only certain and firm decision is that we will not negotiate with Barcelona under any circumstances. You have my word - the player will most certainly not be transferred to Barcelona.'
Not to be outdone in the war of words, Barcelona's vice-president, Rafa Yuste, fired back: 'It is a lack of manners and respect. With those words, they've crossed a red line.' Because nothing says 'respect' like publicly declaring you'll never sell a player to a rival, right?
Earlier on Thursday, Atlético's board of directors unanimously backed the club's stance, ruling out talks with Barcelona and saying there was 'zero consideration' of a transfer before the summer transfer window closes. That's a lot of zeros, but the price tag seems to be 'never, ever.'
Gil Marín also revealed that the saga has taken a toll on Alvarez himself. 'Júlian is really struggling; there have been people who have set out to deceive and confuse him, and I'm very sorry about that,' he said. Indeed, Alvarez was booed by Atleti fans during their 2-2 home draw with Villarreal on Sunday, after expressing a desire to leave. While on World Cup duty with Argentina this summer, the 26-year-old revealed he wanted to 'fulfil my dream' by departing the club.
'I know him and we've been working with him for some time,' Gil Marín added. 'He's a great professional and footballer, but he's very confused and going through a very difficult time, both personally and professionally.'
Arsenal have also been linked with a move for the former Manchester City forward, but Gil Marín said his preference was for the player to remain in Madrid beyond Tuesday's deadline. 'Our intention and my personal dream is for him to stay with us, to remain at Atlético,' he said. 'To compete amongst the greats, you need great players, and Júlian is one. If he believes that staying at Atlético is no longer feasible, we will look for an alternative, but it will never, ever be Barcelona.'
Meanwhile, Barcelona had a rather pleasant evening, thank you very much, beating Athletic Club 2-0 at Camp Nou in their first home match of the new La Liga season. Raphinha and Fermin López scored in either half, and Rodri made his debut off the bench. Raphinha opened the scoring in the 37th minute, rounding goalkeeper Unai Simón after Pedri's through ball split the Athletic defence. Fermin sealed the win in the 82nd when he pounced on Aymeric Laporte's defensive error from Karim Adeyemi's low cross and finished from inside the penalty box.
Hansi Flick's side controlled most of the game and created the better chances, although Simon kept the visitors in contention with several important saves. Flick also handed winger Anthony Gordon his full debut, with Rodri coming on for Raphinha to make his first appearance for Barça. Flick made three changes from the team that began the campaign with a 5-0 win at Elche, handing Anthony Gordon his full debut and bringing in Pau Cubarsi and Pedri. New signing Rodri started on the bench.
'Happy to play my first match,' Rodri told Dazn after the game. 'It is important for me to regain my rhythm and adapt to this great team. It has been a long summer … I'm very happy, I am where I wanted to be. Now we have to work.' And work he shall, presumably not against Atlético Madrid anytime soon.