Alvarez Denies Apologising, Demands Urgent Meeting with Gil Marín
On Friday, Spanish media reported that Julián Álvarez had apologised to his Atlético Madrid teammates for how he handled his public request to leave the club during the World Cup. Hours later, ESPN’s Argentina desk shot the story down point by point — and it turns out the denial was closer to the truth than the original report.
Cadena SER, cited by Goal, reported on Friday that the Argentine had “fully owned up to his mistake” in the dressing room and admitted his public transfer request during the World Cup had been badly handled. Almost immediately, ESPN Argentina denied it: the forward had apologised to no one at Atlético and still considers his time there over. Two days later, the story took yet another turn — according to SPORT, Álvarez’s camp requested an urgent meeting with CEO Miguel Ángel Gil Marín over the weekend of August 15-16 to try to unblock a move to Barcelona. Hard to find better proof that no reconciliation, apology or otherwise, ever happened.
This wasn’t his first attempt at contact. On August 10, the day he returned to training after the World Cup, Álvarez already sought a meeting with Gil Marín, who was still on holiday. The next day he did speak with Diego Simeone, but according to Argentine outlet El Intransigente, it didn’t go the way the player hoped: the coach reportedly told him the transfer question was “a boardroom matter, not mine,” while confirming he’s counting on Álvarez for the coming season. He was then left out of Friday’s squad for the friendly against Olympique Marseille — officially for physical reasons, though reports suggest he told Simeone he no longer wants to wear the Atlético jersey.
In the background, a formal case is still working its way through the Spanish federation. In late June, Atlético filed a complaint with the RFEF and FIFA accusing Barcelona of “harassment” and illegal contact with a player under contract during the protected period. The RFEF has opened disciplinary proceedings, and Barcelona now has to submit its defence. Financial penalties are on the table, and in the worst-case scenario, sanctions could extend to player suspension or restrictions on Barcelona’s ability to register new signings — which, given their attacking exits this summer, would sting badly.
For now, the official status hasn’t changed: Barcelona submitted a €100 million bid this summer, which Atlético rejected outright; Real Madrid reportedly offered €150 million, also unsuccessfully. Álvarez is under contract until June 2030, with a release clause reportedly set at €500 million. None of those figures amount to an actual deal in progress — this remains interest and a rejected bid, not active negotiations.
Atlético open their league season on Wednesday, August 19, against Málaga, and whether Álvarez even makes the matchday squad remains unclear. Barcelona, meanwhile, are still waiting — weeks now — for a response nobody in Madrid seems in a hurry to give.
