The 24-year-old has been criticised by Diego Simeone but the club will not let him leave this month
Atletico Madrid chief executive Gil Marin has ruled out the possibility of Thomas Lemar leaving the club in January.
As the transfer window nears its end, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham have all been linked with a move for the 24-year-old winger, whose contract runs until 2023.
Coach Diego Simeone is said to be open to letting him go, but Marin has dismissed talk of a transfer happening this month.
“Lemar is not for sale. There is no way he can change,” Marin told Goal and Spox.
Lemar joined Atletico in a €70 million move (£60m/$78m) from Monaco in 2018 and although he has made 64 appearances for the club since then, he has struggled to hold on to a place in the starting XI.
The France international featured 21 times in La Liga and the Champions League this season, but only 10 of those have been from the start and he has not scored or assisted any goals so far.
Simeone made clear earlier this month that he he is not happy with his performances and expects a drastic improvement when he recovers from the hamstring injury that has kept him out of action since December.
“Facts speak better than words. Lemar is an important player who hasn’t been able to develop his game but who has characteristics that others don’t have,” Simeone told a news conference.
“Let’s hope he has a good moment when he comes back from injury.
“Now, if Lemar can stay or not… we know that agents work in an exemplary way. Clubs work in terms of the needs of the clubs. But, as a footballer, every time he has been available, he’s played a lot more than he hasn’t played.
“His characteristics have always excited me. But he hasn’t been able to live up to expectations.”
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While Atletico are not willing to facilitate the departure of the attacker, they are working on signing another one before the transfer window closes.
Atleti are trying to sign Edinson Cavani from Paris Saint-Germain and have even reached a personal agreement with the Uruguayan. However, they are yet to strike a deal with PSG and recent reports say they had a €15m (£13m/$17m) offer rejected.
Atletico are fifth in La Liga after 21 matches and trail leaders Real Madrid by 10 points.
