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In an unprecedented escalation, Atletico Madrid launched a scathing attack on Barcelona, accusing them of “sneaky” practices and a concerted campaign to destabilize one of their stars, in a clear reference to the ongoing conflict over the future of Argentina striker Julián Alvarez.
The Spanish newspaper “Mundo Deportivo” revealed that the representative of “Atletico” Madrid said. “It may seem like a joke or something funny, but it’s very serious. We have been very angry with Barcelona for a long time.
In the official statement released yesterday evening, the Royal Club justified its tough position, saying: “Over the past months, we have been subjected to a campaign of harassment and smearing of one of our players through self-serving leaks, fake news, a constant lack of respect, making up common stories and making phone calls before live confrontations.”
“But of course it didn’t occur to us to launch a vice president of referees or resort to political patronage to register players. Respect and values are the basis.”
He rejected the first offer
According to sources close to the matter, Barcelona’s attempts to destabilize him could prove costly, with Atletico Madrid set to reject an initial offer of €100m despite Alvarez’s desire to move to the Camp Nou and his unwillingness to extend his contract, which runs until 2030.
Sources say the door is open to an offer of at least 120 million euros, but Atletico’s management would rather sell the player to a foreign club than strengthen a direct rival in the Spanish league, especially in light of years of strained relations between the two clubs.
Griezmann’s ghost returns again
Memories of Antoine Griezmann’s controversial deal appear to be still fresh in the minds of Atletico Madrid officials, with Barcelona holding direct talks with the Frenchman without his club’s approval, prompting the Rojiblancos to threaten to appeal to European Football Association (Uefa).
Atletico Madrid today accused Barcelona of repeating the same tactic with Alvarez, citing phone calls that took place ahead of the Copa del Rey and Champions League double-headers.
The source concluded his statements by saying: “These attempts to destabilize things for months now are over. We are very angry and that was our way of expressing it.”
