Arsenal's desire to strengthen their attack has been shut down by a former Spurs captain
Emiliano Martinez, Cristian Romero and Julian Alvarez of Argentina celebrate their victory after the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between Argentina and Egypt at Atlanta Stadium on July 7, 2026
Cristian Romero has seemingly shut down Julian Alvarez joining Arsenal(Image: VCG via Getty Images)
View 3 Images
Ex-Tottenham captain Cristian Romero has handed his former rival Arsenal a blow by appearing to rule out their chances of signing Julian Alvarez.
The Atletico Madrid striker publicised his desire to leave the club for Barcelona earlier this summer, with the Spanish giants having had their €100million (£86m) bid rejected. Bad blood was ignited between the Spanish clubs over the deal, which resulted in Barca being subject to a FIFA complaint from Atletico for allegedly tapping the Argentine up.
With a move to Barcelona seemingly off the cards, Alvarez has been a top target for the Premier League champions for much of the summer transfer window. At least for now, the 26-year-old could remain at the Metropolitano Stadium, going by comments Romero made shortly after leaving Spurs for Atletico in a £34m deal.
Romero praised the focus of his club and international team-mate, who he says is "very involved." He added: "I see him doing very well. I see him as always, a guy eager to keep scoring goals, eager to entertain people… I see him very focused and that makes me very happy."
The 28-year-old's remarks have made him a thorn in Arsenal's side again, despite the Premier League champions reportedly getting the go ahead from Atletico to sign Alvarez, who has been valued at £150m.
Julian Alvarez of Atletico de Madrid celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the Copa Del Rey Final match between Real Sociedad and Atletico de Madrid
Julian Alvarez publicly called for his Atletico Madrid exit(Image: Getty Images)
View 3 Images
Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo reports that they've come to the acceptance that a sale is necessary, but a move to north London doesn't have Alvarez's approval. The striker does not want to return to England, after leaving Manchester City in 2024, and remains set on joining Barca.
He said in June: "I spoke with people at the club, with those I had to speak with and the best thing for everyone is a transfer and I want to fulfil my dream. It's not the time to talk about this, but I also can't hide it. I try to be an honest person."
Alvarez has recently returned to training after being given an extended break for helping Argentina make the World Cup final. However, he was absent for Atletico's first game of the season, a 2-0 win at home against Malaga.
FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page
Cristian Romero celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the Premier League match between Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur.
Cristan Romero left Tottenham earlier this month(Image: Stu Forster/Getty Images)
View 3 Images
Discussing his decision to omit the forward from the squad, Simeone explained: "We don't believe Julian Alvarez is in the right condition to play or take part for tomorrow's game. Hopefully, over these next four days, he'll make further progress and we'll be closer to where we want him to be.
"We're looking after both the person and the player, and we understand that he is not in the right condition to play in this match." The Gunners kick off their Premier League campaign on Friday at home to newly-promoted Coventry City.