Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has issued a hands-off warning to Arsenal and Liverpool over Julian Alvarez.
Reports in Spain recently claimed the Premier League clubs had expressed interest in signing Argentine forward Alvarez during the summer transfer window.
Alvarez enjoyed an impressive first season at Atletico, scoring 19 goals in all competitions following an £82m move from Manchester City.
The 25-year-old netted 36 goals across his two seasons at the Etihad Stadium but struggled to cement a place in Pep Guardiola’s starting line-up.
Arsenal and Liverpool are both expected to sign new strikers this summer and Spanish outlet Marca said Alvarez had emerged as a target for the Premier League giants.
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But Atletico president Cerezo responded bluntly when asked about Alvarez’s future at the club and the possibility of a summer sale.
‘Julian Alvarez is an Atletico Madrid player and will be an Atletico Madrid player,’ the 77-year-old, who has held the role since 2003, told Marca.
Alvarez enjoyed his time in the Premier League but is believed to have reservations about a return to England given his excellent first season in La Liga and his healthy relationship with Atletico boss Diego Simeone.
He will, however, hope to win some silverware next season after Atletico finished third in La Liga last term and were knocked out of the Champions League in the last-16 stage of Real Madrid.
Mikel Arteta is desperate to finally welcome an elite goalscorer to the Emirates Stadium and has also expressed interest in Viktor Gyokeres, of Sporting Lisbon, and Benjamin Sesko, of RB Leipzig.
Arne Slot is in a similar position at Liverpool and is interested in adding Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike to his Premier League title-winning squad.
Manchester City’s decision to sell Alvarez has been questioned following his superb form in Madrid but Pep Guardiola, speaking last summer, said the player pushed to leave.
‘It was a joy to work with him,’ Guardiola said shortly after his departure from the Etihad Stadium. ‘I learnt a lot from him and hopefully he can find what he was looking for.
‘He believes his period here must be over so both clubs arrive to an agreement.
‘He’s incredibly loved by the team for his behaviour but like I said many times for many players, he wants to leave and have a new challenge.’
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