Arsenal are willing to go to the wire for Atletico Madrid strike Julian Alvarez, who has once again been told that his dream transfer to Barcelona remains off the table
MADRID, SPAIN - AUGUST 23: Julian Alvarez of Atletico de Madrid looks on during the LaLiga EA Sports 2026/27 match between Atletico de Madrid and Villarreal CF at Riyadh Air Metropolitano on August 23, 2026 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
The Julian Alvarez saga has taken a fresh twist(Image: Getty Images)
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Arsenal transfer target Julian Alvarez has been told there is 'zero chance' Atletico Madrid will negotiate with Barcelona. The Argentine marksman was absent from training again, for the second successive day, on Thursday due to 'illness'.
Tensions are threatening to reach boiling point at the Metropolitano after Atleti's board of directors once again blasted Barca, reminding them in another strongly-worded statement that a deal is totally off the table.
It leaves Alvarez with two options: stay and potentially face a season of toxic fan scrutiny or sign for the Premier League champions. If the player opts to stay put, Atletico would ideally like the centre-forward to publicly address the club's supporters to smooth relations, following a turbulent summer.
But one source close to the former Manchester City frontman feels the ugliness of the saga has reached the point of no return. Alvarez's personal frustration with Atletico started at the back end of last season when he received a pain-numbing injection in his ankle so that he could play in the Champions League semi-final second leg against Arsenal.
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The issue took time to heal, impacting his World Cup preparations and there's an underlying feeling that Alvarez's sacrifice was never truly valued by Atletico. Since then, the relationship has soured drastically.
Atleti are still prepared to do business with Arsenal, provided their valuation is met. Director of football Mateu Alemany was in London last week and is believed to have held direct talks with the Gunners.
Arsenal are willing to be patient in their long-standing pursuit of the 26-year-old. They are prepared to raise cash by selling Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli to help finance a move, however, the idea that they're on their knees and persistently pressing Alvarez for an answer is inaccurate.
In fact, the legwork has long been done according to well-placed sources and a final decision remains firmly in the player's hands. The main stumbling block is believed to be around family logistics, plus Alvarez's desire to remain in Spain, ideally with Barcelona given he has already conquered England with Manchester City.
Julian Alvarez
Julian Alvarez wants to leave Atletico Madrid - but only for Barcelona(Image: Getty Images)
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Jesus is no longer training alongside his team-mates while Martinelli is mulling over a mega-money switch to Al-Hilal. There's a sense Barcelona could yet turn attention to Viktor Gyokeres, who was an unused substitute against Coventry, after all remaining hope of signing Alvarez went up in smoke.
Mikel Arteta has told Arsenal's attackers to knock on his door if they require clarity over their future. He said when asked about the challenge of keeping everyone happy: "Very simple. Whatever you read, if you have a question, come and knock on my door, and I will tell you whether it is true or not.
"Because if, I don't know, in any position, if they read it, we now put a catalogue [of rumours] on all of these walls about all the players that we wanted in the last three months, I think we need the whole building to put it on.
"So I think they know that there's so much speculation with a lot of players. If ever they feel the doubt of what we think of them and if we're going to recruit a player, I tell them straight away."
Julian Alvarez of Atletico de Madrid and Gabriel Martinelli of Arsenal FC battle for the ball during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD3 match between Arsenal FC and Atletico de Madrid at Arsenal Stadium on October 21, 2025 in London, United Kingdom.
Julian Alvarez played with an injection against Arsenal in the Champions League semi-final second leg last season(Image: Getty )
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Arteta was asked whether there was any substance to Spanish reports Alvarez had not answered his recent phone calls, responding: "You know I'm not going to make comments on that publicly, that would be doing a different job."
The Spaniard insisted that personal circumstances sometimes dictate whether it's viable to land elite players, adding: "They come with a team, whether it's a family, with people that work with them. So, I think that whole ecosystem of the player has to be understood. And I think everybody around it, as well, has to feel that it's the right thing to do."
Arteta said of Martinelli's future: "It's another personal situation that we are dealing with, I think everyone knows and recognises, whatever the outcome it is, it's because everyone has agreed to that."
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