Barcelona transfer news: Julian Alvarez saga takes a fresh twist as Atletico Madrid release stunning statement

Atletico Madrid have said that there is a "0% chance" of Julian Alvarez being sold to Barcelona before this summer's transfer window closes for business.

Barcelona are determined to sign Alvarez, with the Catalan outfit making the Argentina international their number one target in the closing stages of the market.

"We're keeping our hopes up and sticking to our plan - with all due respect to Atletico - of trying to sign him," Barcelona president Joan Laporta has told Barca's official media.

"We would like to reach an agreement with Atletico; we are therefore standing by our proposal, our offer to Atletico, and hopefully there will be an understanding between the two clubs.

"And we are doing this, I repeat, with the utmost respect for Atletico, the club's directors and for the club as a whole.

Atletico are refusing to sell Alvarez to Barcelona

"It goes without saying that Barcelona absolutely respect Atletico and the club's directorate, who we have known for many years and have a lot of appreciation for.

"We made a significant offer to Atletico for Julian, a player our coach [Hansi Flick] has a real interest in signing, which was ratified during a telephone call to [Atletico CEO] Miguel Angel Gil Marin.

"He told me they would not transfer him as they didn't have a replacement. I said when they have one, if the summer window was still open, we would be there to do a deal for Julian.

"That's where it stayed. I spoke with [Barca sporting director] Deco and said to leave it on standby because it seemed they didn't want to let him leave without a replacement.

"Then we get information that Atletico are in negotiations with other clubs. Upon learning that, we're in a situation where we want to maintain our offer and for them to transfer Julian to us, not another club.

Laporta urges Atletico to sell Alvarez to Barcelona

"From there, through third parties of confidence who also have a relationship with the Atletico hierarchy, it was confirmed to us once again that they did not want to transfer him. But, after, we still had information that there were, well, talks [with other clubs]."

Barcelona's offer for Alvarez is believed to be in excess of €100m (£85.7m), but Atletico have insisted that the forward will not be making the move to Camp Nou.

"This is not about money, it's about dignity. The player is being victimised, but the only victim in the Julian case is us," Atletico said.

"They have harmed us economically and socially. There is 0% chance of selling him to Barca. There is a campaign of many lies and half-truths. The only one paying for this is Atletico."

Arsenal transfer news: Gunners remain interested in Alvarez

Alvarez was booed by large numbers of the Atletico fans after coming off the bench to feature in the team's 2-2 draw with Villarreal on Sunday.

Atletico head coach Diego Simeone has said that the decision for Alvarez to head straight down the tunnel at full-time was made by the club.

"People at the club told me that the club had decided he shouldn’t go near the stands or the fans. The club decided to keep him away and separate him so that he could go to the changing rooms," Simeone told reporters.

"It’s not my place to give advice. I have to focus on my job, which is to give my all on the pitch. If we want to win a title, we need to stick together, have strikers and have top-class strikers. We all need to work hard on what’s required.

“I’m not going to answer all of Julian’s questions. I understand the concern and we can talk about what happened in the match."

The 26-year-old was absent from Atletico's training session on Wednesday, allegedly due to illness, but there remains speculation surrounding his future.

Arsenal are also believed to be keen on the forward, but it is understood that the South American wants to remain in Spain and is still determined to join Barcelona.

Alvarez has scored 49 goals and registered 17 assists in 107 appearances for Atletico in all competitions.