Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has pledged his full backing for Julian Alvarez once the forward returns to training, even as tension surrounding the striker's future continues to dominate headlines at the Spanish club.
The uncertainty stems from Alvarez's reported desire to join Barcelona, a move Atletico have firmly rejected. In the space of just 24 hours this week, the club issued two separate public statements making clear that a transfer to their La Liga rivals will not be sanctioned. With Barcelona ruled out, Arsenal has emerged as the only realistic exit route being discussed for the Argentine forward.
Alvarez's absence from the squad has become increasingly notable. He missed his third straight training session on Friday, and Simeone confirmed the striker will not travel with the team for Saturday's league fixture against Sevilla, citing poor health rather than the ongoing transfer speculation as the reason for his unavailability.
Despite the awkward circumstances, Simeone struck a conciliatory tone when discussing his forward's situation. "From the moment he returns to training, I will do everything I can to make him feel important," the Atletico coach said. When pressed on whether the standoff could still be resolved in the club's favor, Simeone remained hopeful, noting, "As long as you have your health, everything in life can be turned around."
The veteran manager acknowledged that questions about Alvarez were bound to overshadow his pre-match press duties, but stressed that the club's position had already been made unmistakably clear. "I'm still in the same position, hoping, from a sporting point of view, to be able to help him in the best way so that he continues to be the very important player he is for us," Simeone explained.
The timing of Alvarez's absence could hardly be worse for Atletico, who travel to face a Sevilla side riding a wave of confidence after back-to-back victories. Compounding matters, Norwegian striker Alexander Sorloth is also sidelined through injury, leaving Simeone's attacking options severely depleted heading into the weekend.
"Sorloth's absence hurts us. He's very important for us," Simeone said. "In this situation with Julian, it has much more impact. The team will try collectively to find solutions to score goals and win. We are working with them on that awareness. We are going to try to improve it collectively."
When asked whether the drama surrounding Alvarez might be creating wider unrest within the dressing room, Simeone was quick to dismiss the notion. "Honestly, no," he insisted. "The boys are working very well, especially the World Cup players. The team played good matches against Malaga and Villarreal and we are focused on playing a good match [against Sevilla]."
Amid the turmoil, Atletico do have one fresh face set to feature in the squad. Cristian Romero, the defender signed from Tottenham Hotspur for a reported €40 million (£34.2m) this summer, will make the trip to Sevilla. However, Simeone cautioned against rushing the Argentine international into the side too quickly. "He needs time to find his best form and we will not speed up the time to rush him, so that he feels that he is in a position to perform as well as he should," the manager said.
With Alvarez's future still unresolved and key attacking reinforcements missing, Atletico face a challenging test against an in-form Sevilla side as they look to maintain momentum in what has already proven to be a turbulent week off the pitch.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.