Alvarez to Miss Malaga Match as Barcelona Interest Grows

Atletico Madrid will begin their La Liga campaign without Julian Alvarez. The Argentine forward has been left out of Diego Simeone’s squad for Wednesday’s clash against Malaga, but the Atletico boss is not overly concerned about his absence and remains hopeful of having the striker available for the following match.

Alvarez’s future has also become a subject of fresh transfer speculation. Reports suggest that Barcelona are among the clubs interested in signing the World Cup-winning Argentine, leaving some uncertainty over his long-term future at Atletico Madrid.

Alvarez joined Atletico from Manchester City in 2024 for a reported €75 million transfer fee. Since arriving in Madrid, he has made 106 appearances and scored 49 goals for the club.

Despite the growing transfer speculation, Atletico have made their position clear. Club chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin has reportedly insisted that the club would not consider selling Alvarez even for an offer of €200 million.

Simeone also appears to have no doubts about the striker’s importance to his plans. Explaining his decision to leave Alvarez out against Malaga, the Atletico coach said, “He will not play this match. Hopefully, over the next four days, he will get closer to where we want him to be. He needs more training.”

Simeone was equally clear about Alvarez’s importance to the squad, adding, “He is the best player in our team, and we will try to build the team around his qualities.”

Atletico will therefore have to start their La Liga campaign without one of their key attacking players. However, Simeone’s comments suggest that the club is simply being cautious and wants Alvarez to regain full fitness before returning to competitive action.

With Barcelona reportedly showing interest and Atletico determined to keep hold of him, speculation surrounding Alvarez’s future is unlikely to disappear anytime soon. For now, however, he remains a central figure in Simeone’s plans at Atletico Madrid.