Julian Alvarez’s push to leave Atletico Madrid for Barcelona this summer ended in frustration.
The Argentine forward was informed privately that the move would not go through, despite his clear desire to join Barcelona.
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Atletico responded by issuing two public statements within 24 hours, reaffirming that Alvarez would not be sold to their rivals.
The 2022 World Cup winner then missed two days of training, which the club put down to illness.
He was subsequently left out of Atletico’s La Liga trip to Sevilla last weekend. Arsenal held direct talks over a possible deal before the transfer window closed, but no agreement was reached, and Alvarez remained in Madrid.
Diego Simeone said last week he would “do everything” he could to make the 26-year-old “feel important” on his return to the group.
Simeone has now confirmed that Alvarez will be back in Atletico’s squad for Saturday’s La Liga match against Athletic Club at San Mames.
“Julian Alvarez will be in the squad tomorrow. He’s training well, and we expect the best from him, just as we do from all his team-mates,” Simeone said.
The Atletico coach framed the saga as an opportunity for Alvarez to grow.
“For me, life is full of opportunities. And Julian now has an opportunity,” Simeone said.
“A lot of the time, we spend our lives judging, and we need to worry about doing that less and learning more. I hope this has served as a learning experience for him.”
Simeone also revealed that Atletico’s director of football, Paulo Futre, had reached out to the striker personally.
“I hope he’s happy and, as Futre told him yesterday in a lovely video, that he shows it by scoring goals,” Simeone said.
Alvarez’s return to the squad opens the door for him to face Liverpool in the Champions League on Wednesday. Atletico travel to Anfield for their league-phase fixture.
The two sides last met in the same competition in September 2025, also at Anfield, when Liverpool won 3-2.
Julian Alvarez has scored 49 goals in 107 games for Atletico since his £81m move from Manchester City in 2024, but he is yet to win a trophy since arriving in Madrid.
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