Julian Alvarez shares his thoughts on a possible Arsenal move after Atletico Madrid ‘agrees to start talks’
Atletico Madrid have agreed to start talks with Arsenal about Julian Alvarez’s transfer, but the player isn’t very excited and really wants to join Barcelona, according to a recent report. Alvarez has openly said he wants to leave Atletico to “fulfil his dream,” which seems to be moving to the Catalan club.
The 26-year-old forward joined Atletico from Manchester City in 2024 for £81.5 million. After scoring 49 goals and making 17 assists in 106 games under Diego Simeone, he’s ready for a new challenge.
“I spoke with the people at Atletico and the best thing for everyone is a transfer. I want to fulfil my dream,” Alvarez said at the World Cup in June. “It’s not the time to talk about this now, but I try to be honest.”
Two months later, Alvarez is still waiting for his dream move. Atletico doesn’t want him to leave for Barcelona but they’re willing to talk with Arsenal, who are interested, according to Mundo Deportivo. However, Alvarez is ‘not keen’ on joining Arsenal and still hopes to sign for Barca.
“The situation with Julian at Atletico is tough now, and Atletico knows this,” the report says. “But they won’t let him go to Barcelona, who still want him the most.”
It looks like moving to Camp Nou could be tricky before the transfer window closes. Barca reportedly gave up their chase for Alvarez this summer (according to ESPN) and are looking at other options. Meanwhile, Arsenal are still linked with the former River Plate star.
With all the transfer talk, Alvarez didn’t play in Atletico’s first La Liga game against Malaga on Wednesday. Coach Diego Simeone said that was partly because of Alvarez’s time with Argentina at the World Cup, even though two other Spanish players, Marcos Llorente and Alex Baena, were on the bench despite also being at the tournament.
“I still think the same,” Simeone said. “I’m focused on the sports side. We’ve talked as usual. From a sports point of view, he needs more training to improve. He’s one of the best attackers, if not the best.”