Julián Alvarez on Barcelona interest, confirms Champions semi-final | OneFootball

The Argentine forward spoke about a possible departure from Atlético de Madrid ahead of the clash with Arsenal.

Heading into the UEFA Champions League semifinals, Julián Alvarez was one of the main doubts as he was recovering from the muscle injury that had been troubling him. However, he himself confirmed he will be available and then took a few seconds to break his silence over Barcelona’s interest, with the transfer window drawing closer.

The Atlético de Madrid striker had been dealing with discomfort in his thigh, which had left him doubtful for this Wednesday’s match against Arsenal in the first leg of the continental competition. Despite that, La Araña was emphatic in the official pre-match press conference and, before speaking about his future after midyear, said: “I’m 100%.”

The truth is that, as expected, Julián was asked about the persistent rumor of a move to Barcelona in the next transfer window. “I try not to pay much attention to what’s being said because every week there’s a new story,” Alvarez said firmly without hesitation as soon as he received the question from the journalist in the room.

Along the same lines, he expanded on the subject. “I’m focused here on achieving great things here,” said the world champion with Argentina at Qatar 2022. “I can’t keep coming out to clarify or deny everything that comes out all the time; I’m focused on helping the team,” the Atlético striker added immediately afterward.

As for the knockout tie against the Gunners, the Calchín native was clear. “People always talk about whether there’s a favorite, but we’re only thinking about what we have to do,” he said at first. Then he completed his answer by stating: “We’re clear about what we have to do and what we’re capable of. We have to stay focused on that.”

At the same time, he spoke about his objective in the tie and revealed: “A perfect match would be to win; I’m going to give everything I have to help the team win because we want to play in that final.” He also emphasized: “We wanted to be champions, and these past few days we’ve talked as a group and we’re very clear about our objective. We’re having a very good season, and we want to make history.”

Finally, he assessed Atlético de Madrid’s season in terms of results. “Last year, by March, we were already out of these competitions, and reaching the final stages makes us proud of this,” Julián said without hesitation. “We have to bounce back from the blow, and we’re going to do everything possible to reach the final,” he concluded once again ahead of the semifinal against Arsenal.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.