Atletico Madrid chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin has emphatically shut down Barcelona's pursuit of Julian Alvarez, declaring that the club would not sell the Argentine striker even for €200 million.

The transfer saga surrounding Alvarez has intensified in recent weeks, particularly after the forward indicated a desire to move and Barcelona president Joan Laporta publicly stated that the Catalan club's offer was not open-ended. However, Gil Marin delivered a definitive response that looks set to terminate Barcelona's hopes of signing the forward.

'We won't accept €150m or €200m'

"Atlético, like all great clubs, is built with great players, and I’m certain that Julián is one, as well as a great professional," Gil Marin told news agency EFE. "We must compete based on our values, with homegrown talent and with the best players from outside that we can bring in."

Addressing the negotiations directly, Gil Marin made it clear that Atletico's stance is completely non-negotiable regardless of the sums involved.

"My opinion is clear, the club’s will is clear, we have made this clear to the player and his agent, and to the Barça president. I have no doubt that Atlético is the right place in the world for Julián, and Julián is the perfect striker for Atlético Madrid. We want to keep him," he said.

"I simply heard some statements from the president (Laporta), saying that his offer wasn’t open-ended. And our response is that our answer is indeed open-ended; we don’t want to transfer him. We didn’t accept the €100 million offer, nor will we accept one of €150 million or €200 million."

Standing by the striker

Gil Marin also suggested that Alvarez had been poorly advised during the summer window, while reaffirming Atletico's commitment to supporting the player moving forward.

"We are going to help Julián and continue to take care of him so that he can give us his full potential, because we need him to keep competing among the best in Europe. We must understand that Julián hasn’t had the best advisors around him regarding his professional career in recent months," Gil Marin added.

"That other clubs and their affiliated media tell us what to do, dictate our sporting strategy, and disrespect us. That’s precisely what they want: to divide us. It’s clear we’re not as powerful as them, but we have values. We Atlético fans won’t allow them to corrupt us. Atleti is strong when we’re all together."

With Atletico refusing to sanction a departure under any circumstances, Barcelona will now be forced to explore alternative attacking targets in the transfer market.