Julián Álvarez has made it clear that he wants to leave Atlético Madrid following Argentina’s 2-0 win over Austria at the World Cup.
Arsenal praise Julian Alvarez but a summer transfer deal remains highly unlikely
Arsenal target Julián Álvarez wants to join Barcelona only after announcing his intention to leave Atletico Madrid.
After weeks of speculation, including a huge £129m transfer offer from Real Madrid being rejected, Alvarez has publicly declared his desire to pursue a new challenge.
Although he did not mention Barcelona by name, he believes they are his main choice and hopes that the two clubs can come to an agreement regarding his appointment.
Barça have already had one offer worth £86.4m rejected. This prompted Atleti to make a series of ugly comments, insisting that they had a long-term contract with the player and would not sell him to a rival.
Ideally, Atleti would prefer a deal with a non-Spanish team if they were to let Alvarez go, but Alvarez is reluctant to return to England, where he has already won two Premier League titles and a host of other trophies with Manchester City.
PSG would also be prepared to spend big on Alvarez if he shows interest in a move to France. That, too, is considered unlikely at this point.
Mirror Football understands that Arsenal are already working hard to sign Alvarez this summer, according to a source with knowledge of a secret meeting with Barça president Deco at the Torre Melina hotel in Catalonia on May 27.
During the conversation, it was brought up that the Premier League champions were looking to sign Alvarez, who Gunners sporting director Andrea Berta had previously signed with Atletico.
In a polite manner, the Premier League champions were told by the player’s camp that they were keen to join Barça and would not consider offers from rivals.
After a long period of silence, Alvarez has revealed that he wants to leave Atlético, where he has a contract until 2030.
Julian Alvarez wants to move from Atletico Madrid to Barcelona (Image: Getty)
“It’s not the right time to talk about this, but I can’t hide either. I try to be an honest person. I’ve also spoken to the officials at Atlético Madrid and I think it’s best for everyone to move. I want to make my dreams come true,” he said at the AT&T Stadium after Lionel Messi doubled down on Austria.
Mirror Football also understands that Alvarez’s long-time agent Fernando Hidalgo is currently supporting his client in North America.
Arsenal were also previously interested in signing the 26-year-old, who left Manchester City, but he wants to remain in Spain after failing to win any trophies in either of his first two seasons at Atletico.
His relationship with manager Diego Simeone is said to have deteriorated, and he is also believed to be unhappy with the way he was treated after his physical attack against the Gunners in the Champions League semi-final.
Alvarez sprained his ankle during the first leg and required an injection to play in his return match at the Emirates, but because of the problem he was not deemed fit enough to start Argentina’s World Cup opener against Algeria in Kansas City.
Arsenal’s only chance of signing Alvarez at the moment is if Barcelona are unable to agree a deal and the situation becomes unsustainable to the point that Alvarez wants to leave Atletico at all costs.
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