Julian Alvarez remains firm on Barcelona stance despite Atletico locker room’s attempts to change his mind | OneFootball

Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Julian Alvarez are embroiled in a transfer saga that promises to drag on until the very end of the summer transfer window, at the very least.

Days after signing Anthony Gordon, the Catalan club submitted a bid to Atletico for the 26-year-old striker, which was promptly rejected.

Atletico did not stop there, as they came out and used their social media channels to mock Barcelona over the bid they made.

After a few weeks in which not much happened, Alvarez came out after Argentina’s game against Austria and publicly reiterated his desire to leave Atletico this summer.

This then forced Atletico to submit a complaint to FIFA that Barça had contacted their player illegally, while reiterating their stance on not selling him this summer.

Now, according to MARCA, Julian Alvarez is not backing down from his desire to leave Atletico Madrid, despite attempts from inside the dressing room to change his mind.

Barça desire remains strong

Many people in the Atletico squad have spoken with the Argentine forward to convince him to stay, but his answer has been the same each time – he wishes to leave to take his career to the next level.

Alvarez wants to join Barcelona. (Photo by Rodrigo Valle/Getty Images)

For Barça, Alvarez is seen as one of the most attractive attacking options on the market because of his quality, age, pressing and versatility.

They want to sign him, but Atletico do not want to sell their star player to a league rival. Thus, Julian’s steadfast stance is only going to further complicate the deal.

Atletico are already angry about the situation, and if their own players cannot convince Alvarez to stay, that does not paint a good picture.

The biggest thing for Barcelona to hang on to is the player’s desire. Without Alvarez pushing, this operation would be almost impossible.

If he continues to repeat that he wants to take the next step in his career, Atletico may eventually have to accept that keeping him could become damaging for everyone.

Alvarez fits Flick’s next step

Alvarez is firm on his stance. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

Barça lost Robert Lewandowski at the end of last season, with the Polish veteran leaving the club upon the expiry of his contract.

Although Alvarez is a very different striker stylistically, he may suit Hansi Flick’s system even better and can add his own dimension to the team.

Flick wants a team built around intensity, and Alvarez is one of the few elite forwards who combines work rate with decisive quality.

Wanting to move to a bigger stage is not unusual for top players, and although Alvarez has not mentioned Barcelona by name yet, it remains the common assumption.

If Barcelona truly see him as the striker who can lead Flick’s project, they must be ready for a long battle. Atletico’s dressing room has tried to stop him, but as long as Alvarez remains strong, the Catalan club can come through the front door with all guns blazing.