Julian Alvarez has been linked with Barcelona and both Jan Oblak and Antoine Griezmann have been on the rumour mill
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone is furious over the constant speculation surrounding his key players and linking them to other clubs.
The latest reports have centred on striker Julian Alvarez, who has been linked with interest from Barcelona, Arsenal and Chelsea. Questions intensified after the Argentina international scored twice in Atletico’s emphatic 5-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Alvarez declined to firmly rule out a future move when asked about the links after the match, though he insisted he was happy at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.
The speculation follows similar reports involving Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak and forward Antoine Griezmann in recent weeks. Simeone voiced his frustration to the media at the constant focus on transfer rumours rather than his team’s performances.
He said: “Against Bruges, you win and everything is based on Oblak and his save; against Barcelona, you win 4-0 and everything is based on Griezmann leaving; against Tottenham, you win 5-2 and everything is based on Julian Alvarez.
“I tell our people that we are fine. I said we would compete and we are going to compete.”
Atletico head into the weekend buoyed by a strong run of form, including their commanding first-leg victory over Spurs that has placed them in a strong position to reach the Champions League quarter-finals. The win was their fifth in the last six matches across all competitions.
However, there is very little to hope for in the league. They currently sit nine points behind city rivals Real Madrid, while league leaders Barcelona hold an additional four-point advantage, leaving a repeat of their 2021 league win highly unlikely.
But Atletico still remain alive in the Copa del Rey, where they will be hoping to defeat Real Sociedad in the final and secure their first trophy since that La Liga win five seasons ago.
