Atletico Madrid CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin sparked a severe crisis with Barcelona after attacking Catalan club president Joan Laporta with harsh words, accusing him of staging an 'media play' in his repeated attempts to sign Atletico's Argentine star Julian Alvarez, insisting that the player 'will not wear the Barcelona shirt next season no matter the price.'

Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo revealed that the fiery statement was issued while a Barcelona delegation was in New York City to attend the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, a timing that observers considered 'provocative and intentional' to embarrass the Catalan club in front of the global media.

Gil Marin said in sharp remarks: 'I heard some statements from President Laporta about his offer not being open, and our response is that our refusal is open; we do not want to sell him. We will not accept a €100 million offer, and we will not accept an offer of €150 million or €200 million.'

The Atletico executive did not stop there, but escalated his tone unprecedentedly, saying: 'I know the inner circle of the rival club well, and I know they act in front of the media and fans as part of their own play,' in a clear reference to Barcelona's management style in dealing with transfers.

Gil Marin revealed that he personally asked Laporta to stop this behavior, but to no avail, saying: 'I have a good personal relationship with their president, and I explicitly asked him to back off, stressing that Julian is not for sale, yet they insist on this stance because it feeds the media and social game.'

He added in harsh phrases: 'They know perfectly well that Julian Alvarez will not play for Barcelona next season. The disgraceful thing is their persistence in this rhetoric in front of their fans, and worse, in front of the player himself.'

Alvarez's agent, Fernando Hidalgo, did not escape the attack of the Atletico CEO, who accused him of giving 'bad advice' to the player since the end of the season, despite his confidence that 'the player's performance and behavior will remain perfect.'

In response, sources within Barcelona told Mundo Deportivo that the Catalan management decided not to be drawn into provocations and will not engage in a war of words with Gil Marin, preferring to 'remain silent and wait for what happens after the World Cup ends next Sunday.'

Alvarez, 27, plays in the World Cup final with the Argentine national team against Spain, which includes eight Barcelona players, in a match that could determine his football future amid this heated conflict between the two giants of Spanish football.