Some 48 hours prior to the 2026 World Cup final, Atlético Madrid CEO, Miguel Ángel Gil Marín publicly stated the club is “not going to sell” coveted striker Julián Alvarez, not even if a $229 million (€200 million) offer arrived. With his future under the microscope, Alvarez’s firm focus has been placed on winning consecutive World Cup titles with Argentina. But that didn’t stop Atlético Madrid from adding fuel to his burning hot transfer saga, releasing a video where Gil Marín emphatically shut down any possibility of Alvarez joining Barcelona—or any other team this summer.“My position is clear,” Gil Marín said. “The club’s intention is clear; we have made it know to the player, the fans and Barcelona’s president. I have no doubt that Atlético is the right place in the world for Julián and that Julián is the perfect center forward for Atlético Madrid. We want him to stay with us.“I recently heard comments from the [Barcelona] president saying that the offer he had made to Atlético Madrid wasn’t unlimited, and the only possible response is that our answer certainly is. We do not want to sell him, we don’t accept the €100 million offer, nor would we accept one of €150 million or €200 million.”Gil Marín admitted he has a good relationship with Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, and revealed he recently had a conversation with him where he told him, “Please, just let it go. We do not want to sell him, and we are not going to sell him. Stop insisting.”Barcelona Set Julián Alvarez Transfer DeadlineJoan Laporta could pull the plug on Barcelona’s Alvarez pursuit soon. | Manuel Queimadelos/Quality Sport Images/Getty ImagesAs Gil Marín mentioned, Laporta came out days ago to state that Barcelona’s initial bid for Alvarez remains valid but only for a limited time. Following Gil Marín powerful statements, Laporta once again doubled-down on his own take. “I respect everyone’s opinion,” Laporta said. “I respect Miguel Angel’s opinion, Enrique’s [Atletico president], everyone’s. We are there with an offer, it’s a player our manager wants and that’s why we made the offer to Atlético Madrid.“It’s a very important offer for us, and a very good one. Yes, it’s not unlimited and, well, we will give it a reasonable time once the World Cup is over. I’d say until the end of the month.”Laporta said Alvarez joining Barcelona this summer still can’t be ruled out, but the clock is ticking. Barça will have until the end of July to see if Atlético is willing to finally engage in negotiations. However, the club’s hierarchy are already preparing for the worst and believe unless Alvarez puts Atlético under immense public pressure, the dream transfer could stay a dream, per MARCA. Alvarez already made a public transfer request earlier in the World Cup, but that only seemed to prompt Atlético to harden their stance. Still, Alvarez making a second public statement expressing his desire to leave Spain’s capital isn’t an unrealistic scenario, according to reports. Julian Alvarez Relationship With Atléti is ‘Irreconcilable’—ReportJulián Alvarez is reportedly enraged with Atléti. | Alex Caparros/UEFA/Getty ImagesAccording to ESPN’s Leo Paradizo, Alvarez is enraged at recent comments, especially the timing, once again blowing up his transfer saga on the eve of one of the biggest games of his career. The relationship between the player and the club might be strained to a point of no return, per the report. “I’ve spoken to people very close to Julián,” Paradizo said. “There’s a general anger in a situation that’s irreconcilable at this point, because they believe that [Gil Marín’s comments and timing] were ill-intentioned.”“The relationship is worse than before,” Paradizo added. “So it’s a big question mark to know what will happen.”Various reports suggest Alvarez is also angered because he was made to believe that Atléti would facilitate his transfer were a strong offer to arrive—an offer such as Barcelona’s. Now, the next step could be Alvarez refusing to report to Atléti’s preseason, which could add a further twist to the saga. It’s unknown if this would suffice for Atléti to soften their stance and grant Alvarez his exit. But even if it did, it seems Arsenal could be a more likely destination, given Los Rojiblancos’ vehement refusal to entertain Barcelona’s advances. Alvarez will try to lift his second World Cup title on Sunday night. Come Monday, though, he’ll be back to headlining the most scrutinized transfer saga of the summer as it seemingly enters its climax. READ THE LATEST TRANSFER NEWS AND RUMORS FROM WORLD SOCCERAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow