Julian Alvarez maintains Barcelona ambition as Atletico de Madrid stand-off intensifies

Julian Alvarez is continuing to train calmly with Atletico de Madrid, but he has not abandoned his desire to move to Barcelona and does not regard the route to a transfer as closed.

The Argentina international has been working under Diego Simeone after finally speaking to the Atletico manager last Wednesday. Despite the apparently normal atmosphere at the club’s training ground, Mundo Deportivo reports that Alvarez remains committed to his plan to join Barcelona.

The forward is pursuing a strategy based on dialogue and diplomacy. The confrontation expected at the start of the week did not take place, but Alvarez was not convinced by Simeone’s response to his request and has not given up on his position.

Alvarez understands that Barcelona will not leave him to pursue the situation alone. He is also aware that completing the deal would be difficult, particularly given Atletico de Madrid’s reaction to his wish to seek a new challenge after two years without winning a trophy.

Even so, he continues to believe he can persuade Atletico to reconsider. Alvarez reportedly feels Simeone knows he cannot afford to keep a player of such stature in his squad unless that player is fully committed to the team’s interests.

Time is becoming increasingly important for everyone involved. With only a narrow window remaining before the start of La Liga, Barcelona will have to activate an alternative plan if negotiations with Atletico do not begin and no transfer follows.

For now, however, Alvarez is maintaining his composure.

Quiet discussions are taking place within the clubs’ offices. Barcelona hopes those conversations will persuade Atletico de Madrid to open negotiations with the Catalan club. If that does not happen, Atletico is expected to continue resisting the move.

In that scenario, Alvarez would have to decide whether to take a further step in his attempt to secure the transfer. At present, he remains prepared to do so.

There is tension beneath the calm surrounding the forward’s day-to-day life, but Mundo Deportivo says he remains firm in his stance. He is not considering apologising for his previous comments before starting the season as though nothing had happened.

Alvarez still wants to play for Barcelona. If Atletico de Madrid continues to maintain its position, he knows he may need to take further action to achieve that goal. Barcelona, meanwhile, will not give up on him, even though the club has an alternative plan in reserve.

The Argentina striker is racing against time, and the coming days are expected to move the situation towards a decision in one direction or the other. For now, he remains the only available forward training under Simeone because of Alexander Sørloth’s injury.