Alvarez's Arsenal dilemma amid summer's most bitter transfer tussle
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- Julian Alvarez wants to join Barcelona but Atletico Madrid refuses to sell, with home fans booing the Argentine World Cup winner on his return in a 2-2 draw with Villarreal on Sunday.
- Atletico Madrid director Mateu Alemany travelled to London last week to meet Arsenal counterparts and set a 150m euro (£128m) asking price for the 26-year-old striker.
- Arsenal moved Alvarez to the top of their list after Vinicius Jr extended his contract at Real Madrid, having previously focused on pursuing Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa.
- Julian Alvarez joined Atletico from Manchester City for £81m in August 2024 and has scored 49 goals in 107 appearances without winning silverware at the Metropolitano.
- Barcelona remain interested in Alvarez but fear Atletico's refusal isn't posturing and have started looking at alternatives including Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres.
- Sources close to the player say Alvarez's stance toward Arsenal has slightly softened in recent days, though not enough to excite the Gunners yet with the 1 September deadline looming.
Why it matters: Atletico effectively doubled their £81m investment by demanding £128m for a player who has publicly said a transfer is the best option, and Mikel Arteta is said to be comfortable signing a striker who never wanted them, believing Alvarez would eventually buy into the Arsenal project.
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