❌ No trip to Marseille, Simeone leaves Julián Álvarez in Madrid | OneFootball

Diego Pablo Simeone has announced Atlético de Madrid’s official squad for the final pre-season fixture against Olympique de Marseille. The main talking point in the rojiblancos’ travelling party is the notable absence of Julián Álvarez. The Argentine striker will remain in Madrid amid growing media attention over his future and whether he will stay at the club.

The attacker’s omission from the trip to France has only fuelled speculation about a possible departure before the summer transfer window closes. Although the player has followed his training programme in Majadahonda in recent days, the coaching staff have decided not to include him in this final warm-up.

By contrast, the squad list does include some new faces. Most notably, left-back Alejandro Grimaldo has been included and is expected to be one of the major tactical additions this season. Alongside him, players such as Giménez, Koke, Oblak, Le Normand and Lookman will make the trip.

The clash in Marseille will be the final test for Simeone’s men before the official start of the league campaign. The team will look to fine-tune its final collective movements without one of its most highly valued attacking players.

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

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