Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez missed training due to illness while his future remains intensely contested, with the Spanish club ruling out a sale to Barcelona. Amid mounting pressure and a Friday deadline set by the club, Alvarez is considering whether a move to Arsenal might be his only viable exit route this summer.
The high-stakes transfer saga surrounding Julian Alvarez has reached a critical juncture. Atletico Madrid have issued a firm stance regarding their star forward, while the player weighs his options following strained relations with club supporters.
Atletico Madrid draws a hard line against Barcelona
Atletico chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin previously insisted the club would not sell Alvarez even for 200m euros (£170.8m). Tensions spiked further when Barcelona president Joan Laporta publicly reaffirmed his club’s desire to sign the 26-year-old. Atletico responded with an uncompromising statement rejecting any possibility of a deal with their LaLiga rivals. The club asserted that Barcelona failed to conduct themselves in a professional, ethical, or respectful manner during pursuit of the player.
“Atletico de Madrid is open to standard transfer market negotiations when conducted in a professional, ethical and respectful manner, the club said on Thursday. We fully stand behind the club’s previously communicated position that FC Barcelona failed to meet these requirements and, as a result, there will not be any negotiation and there is zero consideration of an Alvarez transfer to Barcelona. “
Marca, Spain’s biggest sports newspaper, had previously received on-the-record quotes from the club saying: “The player is being portrayed as the victim, but we are the only victims in this case. [Barcelona] have harmed us both financially and socially. There is a zero-per-cent chance of selling him to Barcelona – it’s not about money, it’s about dignity.”
Arsenal emerges as the primary option amid a looming Friday deadline
With a move to Camp Nou effectively blocked by Atletico’s refusal to do business with Barcelona, Alvarez faces a stark choice. Atletico Madrid want the Julian Alvarez saga resolved by Friday, essentially giving the 26-year-old a choice to make on his future. If Alvarez does agitate for a move to Arsenal, and the English champions meet an acceptable price, Atletico at least want the time to prepare for replacements.
Arsenal have continued to work on the deal, in the knowledge that Atletico absolutely do not want to do business with their LaLiga rivals. That stance was reiterated in meetings this week intended to resolve the situation. Spanish publication AS claims that Alvarez is starting to see that the Premier League champions are his only chance to leave Diego Simeone’s team this summer.
Earlier this summer, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta spoke to Alvarez. Reports indicate that an agreement between the clubs exists for a €150m deal, plus Viktor Gyokeres heading to Spain in the opposite direction. Gyokeres was manager Mikel Arteta’s top scorer in all competitions last term as the club won the league and reached the final of the Champions League, but has come under criticism for his lack of all-round game and didn’t make it off the bench for the first game of the season against his former club, Coventry City.
Fan backlash and missed training compound the tension
The atmosphere around the Metropolitano has grown increasingly hostile. Alvarez was booed and whistled at the Metropolitano after publicly stating that it was his dream to leave. Alvarez went to the World Cup with Argentina with his future already a major talking point. After Argentina’s win over Austria in June, Alvarez told media that he had spoken to Atletico and he said that the best thing for everyone is a transfer, adding: I want to fulfil my dream. Those comments effectively confirmed that, despite Atletico’s insistence that he was not for sale, the player himself was open to leaving and Barcelona and Paris St-Germain were among the clubs reportedly interested.
Complicating matters on the pitch, Alvarez did not train on Wednesday and Thursday because of illness after a poor night’s sleep on Tuesday, not because of anything related to his future.
The situation around Alvarez’s future has become extremely tense as the Premier League window prepares to close next week, with Arsenal’s top priority remaining Julian Alvarez while Gabriel Martinelli completes his move to Al Hilal and James Scanlon, Habeeb Ogunneye and Igor Tyjon become Arsenal players.
