Julian Alvarez was left deeply shaken by the hostility directed at him by Atletico Madrid supporters on Sunday, to the extent that a move to Arsenal can no longer be dismissed as a possibility.
Barcelona remains the unsettled striker’s preferred destination. However, Atletico’s firm refusal to negotiate with their Catalan rivals could force an emergency solution before the transfer deadline to resolve a relationship that now appears impossible to sustain.
Alvarez had expected a difficult reception after revealing during the World Cup that joining Barcelona was his dream. Even so, the scale of the backlash took him by surprise. More than 60,000 supporters whistled his name before kick-off, with the jeers continuing during the warm-up and again when he entered the match as a 66th-minute substitute.
The scenes became even more uncomfortable after the final whistle. While his team-mates went over to acknowledge the supporters behind one of the goals, the 26-year-old Argentina international headed down the tunnel alone, stepping over an Atletico scarf thrown in his direction.
It was a striking symbol of what increasingly looks like an unrepairable split. Yet significant hurdles remain if the former Manchester City Treble winner is to make a return to English football.
Until now, Alvarez has been determined to keep his young family based in Spain. Arsenal, meanwhile, are understood to have reservations about signing a player who has so openly pushed for a move to Barcelona.
Julian Alvarez’s relationship with Atletico Madrid appears to have broken down after he declared during the summer that he wanted to join Barcelona
The Argentina striker was booed before, during and after Sunday’s match at the Metropolitano and now needs a route out of Atletico, with Arsenal interested
I was commentating on Atletico’s draw on Sunday and, like every commentary team inside the stadium, initially concluded that Alvarez had chosen to leave his team-mates and supporters. Atletico coach Diego Simeone offered a different explanation after the match, insisting the club had made the decision for him. “The decision was not his,” Simeone said.
Whoever made the call, an Atletico press officer had approached Alvarez before he turned and walked off the pitch. The episode only deepened tensions that have been building since the World Cup, when he said: “I can’t hide it, I think the best thing is a transfer so I can fulfill my dream.”
Barcelona have made just one proposal so far. Their offer, submitted two months ago, was worth £77million plus a further £8.6million in add-ons payable over six years. Atletico rejected it as derisory.
A second Barcelona bid could arrive this week, but the club lacks the financial strength to approach Atletico’s £130million valuation. More importantly, Atletico remain adamant that they will not sell Alvarez to Barcelona.
Atletico sporting director Mateu Alemany was in London last week to discuss a potential deal for Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson. The trip also gave him the opportunity to speak with Arsenal’s sporting director Andrea Berta, who previously held the same role at Atletico.
Berta’s knowledge of Atletico and existing connections could help smooth negotiations if Arsenal pursue an agreement over the structure of an Alvarez transfer.
Including Viktor Gyokeres in a deal could address Simeone’s demand for a high-quality replacement, although the Sweden striker would not be his preferred option under normal circumstances. Simeone is an admirer of Jackson, and Chelsea could emerge as surprise contenders for Alvarez amid the turmoil. Arsenal, however, have been long-term admirers of the forward.
Whether Arsenal would commit to the transfer if encouraged by Alvarez’s representatives remains uncertain.
Arsenal are understood to have reservations about signing a player who has made such a determined push to join Barcelona
Diego Simeone said after Sunday’s match that Atletico had decided Alvarez should not join the rest of the squad in applauding the supporters
Alvarez has endured a disappointing pre-season, a view reinforced by an unconvincing 25-minute appearance on Sunday. Arsenal would also be taking on a player who has made no secret of wanting to play elsewhere.
Sergio Aguero’s experience could offer Arsenal some reassurance. Aguero wanted to join Real Madrid in 2011, but Atletico refused to sanction a move to their rivals and instead sold him to Manchester City for £38million. He went on to become a club legend at the Etihad.
Atletico’s determination that Aguero would not join Real Madrid pales into insignificance when compared to their refusal to sell Alvarez now to Barcelona. They have reported Barcelona to FIFA over what they believe was completely inappropriate behaviour during key moments of last season.
The versions of Alvarez’s camp and Atletico’s differ wildly but what they agree on is that at the end of last year the player communicated to the club that he was unhappy.
Atletico felt they had gone out of their way to give him the support he and his young family needed. The player became a father in January 2026.
At first they continued to assure him they wanted the team to be built around him. But his response was that he felt Atletico’s style of football did not fit with his and he wanted to move on.
The club have briefed that they then told Alvarez’s agent, Fernando Hidalgo, that they were not going to retain the player against his will but that he would need to come up with the right offer and in the correct manner for them to facilitate his departure.
They wanted nothing to happen that would disrupt their season. They believe that in spite of that condition being set, conversations between Alvarez’s agent and Barcelona took place during the campaign and spiked around the time the two teams met in both the Spanish Cup and Champions League.
Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres was an unused substitute for Friday night’s victory over Coventry
Arsenal’s sporting director Andrea Berta used to work for Atletico Madrid and his connections would help grease the wheels of any possible transfer
Bad blood continued to run right up to the start of the Spanish season when Atletico’s CEO, Miguel Angel Gil Marin, said Alvarez had been ‘badly advised’ by Hidalgo and the agent responded by posting on social media: ‘Don’t ask a liar to explain why he lied because he’ll just tell you another lie.’
The player’s £300,000-a-week wages would need to be matched at the Emirates, but Arsenal were prepared to pay at least that to Vinicius Junior earlier this summer, while Bukayo Saka is also thought to be on more than £300,000 a week in north London. Real Madrid star Vinicius opted to stay put, such was his commitment to the club that had brought him to Europe.
This is a very different case. It’s difficult to think of another example of such animosity between a club and a player on such a long contract. Alvarez’s deal with Atletico runs until 2030.
The next six days will decide if that animosity has reached such a level that Arsenal becomes not just Alvarez’s reluctant alternative but his only escape route from an unsalvageable situation.
