Barcelona remain “very interested in signing” Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez, according to club president Joan Laporta.Alvarez, 26, is under contract with Atletico until 2030 but has been the subject of interest from Barcelona, Arsenal and Real Madrid this summer.During Atletico’s season-opening draw to Villarreal on Sunday, he was booed and walked straight down the tunnel at the full-time whistle after a second-half cameo.Alvarez missed training on Wednesday after feeling unwell the day before, according to Atletico sources, speaking on the condition of anonymityArsenal have been long-standing admirers of Alvarez, although it is unclear whether the forward would be keen on a return to England. Sources with knowledge of the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity, have indicated that the Argentina international has been adamant all summer that he intends to sign for Barcelona.In an interview posted to Barcelona’s social media pages on Wednesday, Laporta said: “Before anything, we have the utmost respect for Atletico de Madrid and a personal appreciation for their executives as well, because we’ve known each other for many years.“This whole situation has created a lot of noise. This is not motivated by actions taken by Barca. It is motivated by the fact that Atletico told us they were not selling (Alvarez). However, it looks like, from what we hear now (Atletico reportedly being open to selling Alvarez to Arsenal), they are trying to reach agreements with other clubs.“I want to tell Enrique Cerezo, with all the respect because I appreciate him a lot, that Barca have been up to the standards required in this situation, in the same way we do with other clubs. It happened to us in this window with Manchester City, as well as other clubs. We approach them to see if they want to sell one of their players. When they tell us they don’t sell, we let it go. But in this case, there are special circumstances that have been made aware Atletico de Madrid want to sell the player to other clubs.“With this context, our interest and offer for the player remains up until the end of the window, in case Atletico de Madrid want to sell the player. We are very interested in buying Julian Alvarez. We would like our offer to be accepted. We say it with all the respect towards Atletico de Madrid.“We want them to know that if they ever are open to selling the player before the end of the summer transfer window, we would be willing to buy him.”Alvarez is seen as Barca head coach Hansi Flick’s dream target, with Barca short of forward options after Robert Lewandowski left at the end of his contract and joined Major League Soccer side the Chicago Fire, and Ferran Torres signed for Paris Saint-Germain.Atletico have maintained Alvarez is not for sale, despite the forward telling ESPN during the World Cup that he wanted to seek a transfer away from the Metropolitano.The Athletic reported in May that Barcelona were in talks with Atletico over a potential deal for Alvarez, and were preparing a formal offer of around €100million ($116m; £87m) for him.In July, Atletico reported Barcelona to the Spanish football federation (RFEF) over their perceived improper pursuit of Alvarez, with the complaint relating to an alleged breach of ethics between the clubs. The Catalan club said they were notified about the report by the end of July. The RFEF started an internal investigation.Madrid, meanwhile, said in a statement in June that they had seen a €150m bid for Alvarez rejected. Atletico acknowledged the bid in a statement, and club sources with knowledge of the situation said they did not feel like the offer from Madrid was genuine.Alvarez joined Atletico from Manchester City in 2024. He has made 106 appearances for the club, scoring 49 goals and providing 17 assists.Arsenal had been interested in a move for Vinicius Junior during the summer window, before the Brazil international signed a new long-term contract with Real Madrid.