Barcelona's long-running pursuit of Atletico Madrid star Julian Alvarez has hit a dead end.
Atletico refuse to sanction the departure of Alvarez, who still clings to his dream of a move to Barca.
According to Cadena SER radio, the Argentine forward has begun to accept his new reality at Atletico, realising there will be no transfer to Barca.
Speaking on El Larguero, journalist Miguel Martin Talavera revealed that Alvarez no longer hides from his team-mates that he mishandled everything surrounding the Catalan club's interest in him.
What makes it significant is that Alvarez had never admitted this to his team-mates before, nor put it in these terms.
Talavera said: "Alvarez spoke to his team-mates and told them that his commitment to the shirt is total, and that as long as he remains at Atletico Madrid, whether that is for a year, three years or even two days, the club comes above everything else."
That admission, Talavera explained, "completely erases any possibility of a rebellion", killing off speculation that Alvarez might down tools should Atletico block his move to Barcelona.
He added: "He spoke to his team-mates during the last few hours and told them that his commitment to Atletico outweighs everything else, and he admitted that he was wrong, especially in the way and manner in which he expressed his position."
None of that means Julian has given up on Barcelona, the journalist stressed.
He noted: "Alvarez now realises that he will not move to Barcelona through a transfer deal. I think he is getting closer and closer to backing down from his position."