Atletico Madrid chief accuses Barcelona counterpart Joan Laporta of conducting a 'personal circus' over Julian Alvarez pursuit - 'He enjoys it'
By Ben Southby
Published 17/07/2026 at 14:32 GMT+1
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The chances of any suitors signing Julian Alvarez this summer appear to have hit a stumbling block, after Atletico Madrid CEO Miguel Angel Gil sent a warning message, citing Barcelona president Joan Laporta directly.
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Alvarez has attracted lots of interest from clubs across Europe this summer, with a blockbuster transfer potentially in the offing for the former Manchester City ace.
Real Madrid and Arsenal have both been linked with a move for the striker, while Alvarez himself has declared his dream of a move to another interested party, Barcelona.
However, Gil has seemingly shut down any possibility of the Argentinian leaving the Spanish club this summer.
”My position is clear, the club’s position is clear,” he insisted. ”We’ve made it known to the player, his representatives, and the president of Barcelona.
”I have absolutely no doubt that Atletico is the right place in the world for Julian, and that Julian is the perfect centre-forward for Atletico Madrid. We want to keep him.
”I recently heard the president say that the offer he made to Atletico Madrid wasn’t unlimited. My only response is that our answer is unlimited.
”We do not want to transfer him. We didn’t accept an offer of €100 million, and we won’t accept one of €150m or even for €200m”.
Gil went one further by accusing Barca president Joan Laporta of conducting a "circus" around the affair.
"I know Joan well enough to believe that he is constantly playing to the media and to the fans, for his own personal circus," the Atleti chief added.
"And I am not offended. I have a good personal relationship with him. I spoke to him personally.
"I told him 'please, just let it go.' We do not want to sell him, and we are not going to sell him. Stop insisting.
"But he keeps this situation alive because, in part, he enjoys it. He is frivolous and loves maintaining this relationship with the fans and the media. But he knows perfectly well that Julian will not be playing for FC Barcelona next season.
"But he enjoys keeping this game going with the fans and the media, and worst of all, with Julian himself."
Alvarez is currently preparing for the World Cup final, with Argentina set to take on Spain in New Jersey on Sunday.
Earlier in the summer, Alvarez admitted that "the best thing for everyone is a transfer" so he can fulfil his "dream".
Atletico's rivals Real Madrid had a £130m bid rejected earlier in the window, while Barcelona president Joan Laporta admitted the Catalan club have recently "made a very significant offer".
”If they are willing to accept it, fantastic, but it won’t be unlimited,” he said.
”We have to make a decision. Whether we maintain the offer or not depends on how these last two weeks of July unfold.
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”The player has spoken out, and that’s why the issue is still open. It’s clear that the player wants a change of scenery, and we are prepared to welcome him. We’ll see how it all unfolds.
"Obviously, if the Julian deal falls through, we have alternatives.”
Alvarez has spent two years at Atletico following his €95m switch from Man City and has scored 49 goals in 106 games.
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