Enrique Cerezo said on Wednesday that Julián Álvarez will stay at Atlético de Madrid, pushing back against transfer talk before the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal against Barcelona. The Atlético president said bluntly: “hasta que no le diga que se marche, él no se va a marchar.”
Cerezo added that Álvarez has a contract with Atlético and several years left on it, insisting there is no immediate path for the 26-year-old to leave. He also pointed to the larger question around player contracts, asking: “Si un jugador tiene contrato con un equipo y le quedan muchos años de contrato con ese equipo, pues tú dime a mí qué puede pasar.”
The remarks land at a moment when the Argentina forward’s name has been linked with a move to Barcelona in the next transfer window. Álvarez joined Atlético after his spell at Manchester City and has quickly become one of the team’s main attacking threats, with 17 goals and seven assists in all competitions this season.
His production has been central to Atlético’s campaign. He has 46 goals and 17 assists in 101 matches for the club, numbers that help explain why Cerezo was so firm in dismissing any imminent departure. Atlético, meanwhile, remains alive on several fronts, sitting fourth in La Liga with 57 points, 19 behind Barcelona, while also reaching the Copa del Rey final against Real Sociedad and the Champions League quarterfinals.
Cerezo’s frustration with Barcelona was not limited to the transfer chatter. He said the video assistant referee should not have intervened in Gerard Martín’s expulsion in the last league meeting between the sides, a match Barcelona won 2-1. He said he was displeased with that result and added, “¿Quién nos compensa a nosotros por la equivocación?”
The clubs meet again in the Champions League, with the second leg scheduled for Tuesday, April 14, at the Metropolitano. For now, Atlético’s message is that Álvarez is not going anywhere, and Cerezo said plainly that the situation is a long one: “esto es muy largo.”
