Julian Alvarez's future at Atletico Madrid has descended into a tense saga after the striker withdrew from training this week following the club's private decision to block any move to Barcelona. With Atletico standing firm against a sale to their La Liga rivals, Arsenal now appear to be the only realistic destination for the Argentine forward this summer.
According to sources close to the situation, Atletico informed Alvarez and his representatives earlier this week that they had no intention of entertaining offers from Barcelona, regardless of the striker's personal wishes. The 26-year-old has since stayed away from training for two consecutive days, with the club citing illness as the reason for his absence.
Atletico have gone to unusual lengths to make their position public, issuing two separate statements within a 24-hour period to reinforce that Alvarez will not be sold to Barcelona under any circumstances. The first came in direct response to comments from Barcelona president Joan Laporta, who had suggested his club still harbored hopes of completing the signing. Atletico's response left no room for ambiguity: "There is 0% chance of selling him to Barca."
The following day, the club doubled down with a further statement confirming unanimous backing from its board of directors. "The members of Atletico de Madrid's board of directors have unanimously expressed their absolute support for the club's decision to not negotiate the transfer of Julian Alvarez to FC Barcelona," the statement read, effectively closing the door on any deal with the Catalan giants.
While Atletico have ruled out Barcelona entirely, the picture is markedly different when it comes to Arsenal. The Premier League champions have held direct discussions with Atletico over a potential transfer that could rank among the most significant deals of the summer window. Atletico's sporting director, Mateu Alemany, traveled to London last week for talks with Arsenal officials, during which he reportedly set a valuation of 150 million euros (approximately £128 million) for the striker.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been eager to bring Alvarez to the Emirates Stadium this month, viewing the forward as a key addition to his squad. However, his ambitions have been complicated by Alvarez's own preference to join Barcelona, which has effectively stalled progress on any formal agreement between the two Premier League and La Liga clubs.
Despite this hurdle, talks between Atletico and Arsenal over a club-to-club framework are understood to have been constructive. Sources suggest that should Alvarez ultimately accept that a move to Barcelona is not going to materialize and instead give his approval to a switch to north London, a transfer could be finalized swiftly given the groundwork already laid between the two clubs.
For now, the situation remains at an impasse. Alvarez's continued absence from training underscores the depth of his frustration with Atletico's stance, but with the Spanish club unwilling to budge on Barcelona, all signs point toward Arsenal as the only viable path forward if the striker is to leave the Wanda Metropolitano this transfer window. Whether Alvarez will reconsider his position and open the door to a Premier League switch remains to be seen, but with Atletico's resolve firmly in place, his options appear increasingly limited.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.