Atletico Slams Barcelona Over Álvarez Saga: "This is the Behavior of a Small Club"

Atletico Madrid's star striker, Julián Álvarez, has reportedly informed the club's management of his desire to leave, according to Fabrizio Romano's social media post. A transfer to Barcelona is said to be the Argentine international's top priority.

Argentine journalist Verónica Brunati further claims that Barcelona has already submitted an official offer for Álvarez, valued at $110 million. Atletico, she suggests, has given the green light for the deal to proceed, provided certain conditions are met.

However, conflicting information has emerged from Spain's most prominent sports publications, "AS" and "Marca." Citing sources within the "Rojiblancos" management, these outlets report that the club has not received any offer from Barcelona, has not engaged in discussions with the Catalans, and has no intention of selling their leading goalscorer.

"We are tired of months of lies, half-truths, and fabricated stories, such as house purchases in Barcelona or absurd questions posed to our players. This is part of a pre-orchestrated campaign. Barcelona is behaving like a small club in this whole Julián saga," stated the sources to the two Madrid-based newspapers.

The reports also indicate that Atletico has no issues with Álvarez's conduct and instead attributes the commotion to his agents.

Last season, the Argentine featured in 49 matches across all competitions, scoring 20 goals and providing 9 assists. He is under contract with Atletico until 2030, and the club from the Metropolitano would not part with him for less than €150 million.

Earlier reports suggested that Barcelona's initial offer for Álvarez would be around €90 million.

Barcelona is reportedly close to signing Anthony Gordon from Newcastle, yet they are still aiming to bolster their attack with Julián Álvarez, who is also attracting interest from Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain.