Diego Simeone has once again insisted Atletico Madrid have no intention of letting Julian Alvarez leave the club this transfer window.

Alvarez has attracted a lot of interest in recent months, with Barcelona reportedly the frontrunners for his signature as the striker publicly stated he wanted to "fulfil his dream" after telling Atletico he wanted to leave.

Arsenal are also said to be interested in the striker, while Real Madrid had a €150m bid rejected, with Atletico determined not to lose their star man.

Alvarez is yet to rejoin Atleti in pre-season after reaching the World Cup final with Argentina, and rumours continue to swirl around his future.

But Simeone reiterated Atletico's stance is one that is not going to change before the end of the summer.

"I think the situation is very clear. The club has made a decision that [CEO] Miguel Angel [Gil Marin] has explained very well," Simeone told a press conference in Seoul ahead of their pre-season friendly against Manchester City.

"From a sporting perspective, we're very happy to have a footballer like Julian.

"We will help him continue to grow, continue to improve and continue delivering the best – which has been a tremendous amount – that he has given us over the last two years."

Last season (not including the Club World Cup), Alvarez contributed to 29 goals (20 goals, nine assists) in 49 games for Atletico, the fifth-most among LaLiga players.

Since his debut in August 2024, he has scored the most goals (49) and had the most shots of any player for the club (238), while also registering the joint-most assists.

When asked how the Atletico fans might receive Alvarez following all of the transfer speculation, Simeone highlighted Antoine Griezmann as an example.

The Frenchman left Atleti for Barcelona in 2019 before returning two years later. He was initially met with hostility before winning the supporters back over and leaving as a club legend at the end of last season.

"We went through a period with Antoine in recent years where he had to leave, come back, and prove his quality and stature on the pitch," said Simeone.

"I see no other path than focusing on the sporting side of things, doing our part and helping him [Alvarez], just as we have done over the last few years."