Barcelona Remains Silent Amid Atletico Madrid’s Criticism Over Alvarez
According to Mundo Deportivo, FC Barcelona have chosen not to respond publicly to Atletico Madrid CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin following his strong criticism of the Catalan club over their pursuit of Julian Alvarez.
While the Blaugrana delegation is in New York for Sunday’s World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, Atletico released an interview in which Gil Marin firmly dismissed any possibility of selling the Argentine striker.
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Atletico standing firm
Gil Marin reiterated that Atletico have no intention of negotiating for Alvarez, regardless of the amount offered.
He also responded directly to Barcelona president Joan Laporta’s recent comments that the club’s offer would not remain on the table indefinitely.
“I simply heard some statements from the president (Laporta), saying that his offer wasn’t open-ended. And our response is that our response is indeed open-ended; we don’t want to transfer him,” the Rojiblancos’ CEO said.
“We didn’t accept the €100 million offer, nor will we accept one of €150 million or €200 million,” he added.
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The Atletico executive went even further, accusing the Blaugrana chief of creating unnecessary media speculation despite knowing the player’s situation.
He claimed he had personally asked Laporta to stop pursuing the striker after making it clear that Alvarez was not for sale.
“This, they insist on maintaining this stance because it fuels the media and social media circus. They know full well that Alvarez will not be playing for Barcelona next season,” he said.
“What is reprehensible is that they continue to make these claims to their own fans and, worse still, to the player himself.”
Barcelona refuse to escalate the situation
Despite the public criticism, Barcelona have decided against responding.
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According to sources close to the club, the Blaugrana hierarchy have no intention of engaging in a war of words with Gil Marin.
Barcelona opt not to respond to Gil Marin’s statements. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Instead, they plan to remain silent and reassess the situation once the World Cup concludes, with Alvarez currently focused on representing Argentina in the final against Spain.
The Catalans’ strategy is to avoid further public confrontation while waiting to see how events unfold after the tournament.
Julian’s agent also staying quiet
Gil Marin also criticized Fernando Hidalgo, Alvarez’s agent, suggesting the striker had been poorly advised since the end of the club season.
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Rather than replying publicly, Hidalgo has adopted the same approach as Barcelona.
The player’s representative has chosen not to respond to the Atletico CEO’s comments and is instead remaining silent as speculation over Alvarez’s future continues.