Julian Alvarez has given Mikel Arteta a clear answer about the Arsenal transfer after important talks.
Atletico Madrid’s sought-after forward, Julian Alvarez, has reportedly given Mikel Arteta a clear answer about joining Arsenal this summer. Alvarez attracted interest from several clubs during the transfer window, with Barcelona once seeming like his most likely next stop.
But earlier this week, Atletico Madrid’s CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin made it very clear that they would “never, ever” sell Alvarez to Barcelona. This came after Barcelona’s president, Joan Laporta, openly expressed his wish to sign Alvarez before the window closed.
Gil Marin said, “We are really upset by the dishonesty and lack of professionalism here. I promise that we will not even talk to Barcelona under any circumstances. The player definitely won’t be transferred to them.”
Recently, Alvarez was booed by Atletico fans during their draw against Villarreal and will miss today’s game against Sevilla. Despite this, coach Diego Simeone is determined to welcome him back into the team fully. “Once he’s back in training, I’ll do my best to make him feel valued,” Simeone said. “I hope to support him so he can keep being an important player for us.”
There were reports that Manchester City, Alvarez’s former club, might try to sign him on loan, but it seems the player doesn’t want to return there. Atletico has reportedly given Alvarez a deadline to decide about his future by Sunday, with Arsenal looking like the front-runner.
However, on Saturday, journalist David Ornstein gave a big update, saying the chances of Alvarez joining Arsenal are currently low. He explained that while the clubs could make a deal, Alvarez hasn’t shown interest in joining Arsenal and told Arteta he doesn’t want to come right now. Ornstein added that the situation could still change but for now, it’s not moving forward.
Alvarez is under contract with Atletico Madrid until 2030.