Arsenal in frequent contact with Alvarez as Atletico feud opens Premier League door

Arsenal have emerged as a serious destination for Julian Alvarez after Mikel Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta held ‘frequent contact’ with the Atletico Madrid striker, who remains determined to leave the Spanish capital before the transfer window closes on 1 September.

Alvarez’s preferred move to Barcelona has effectively collapsed after Atletico rejected Barca’s €100 million (£86m) bid and subsequently reported their La Liga rivals for allegedly tapping up the 26-year-old Argentina international. ESPN now reports that Barcelona have turned their attention to Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez instead, leaving Arsenal as the most credible alternative.

The situation at Atletico has deteriorated sharply in recent days. Chief executive Miguel Ángel Gil Marín publicly stated that Alvarez “has not had the best advisors” this summer, after the striker declared he wanted to “fulfil his dream” of joining Barcelona. Alvarez’s agent Fernando Hidalgo responded pointedly on social media: “Never ask a liar why he lied. To explain himself, he would have to lie again.”

Despite the acrimony, Atletico manager Diego Simeone has moved to publicly back his player ahead of Sunday’s home fixture against Villarreal — expected to be Alvarez’s first appearance since the World Cup. “There’s no uncertainty,” Simeone said. “For me he’s a really important player to achieve our objectives. We’ll be with him, we’ll look after him on the sporting side, because he’s our player. He’ll be in the squad tomorrow.”

According to Spanish outlet AS, Alvarez does not understand his club’s handling of the saga and remains intent on leaving. A move to Arsenal is described as ‘a welcome emergency solution’ for the player, even though he is reluctant to uproot his family from Madrid. He is nonetheless said to appreciate the consistent interest shown by Arteta and Berta.

Arsenal are actively seeking a world-class forward before the window shuts, and the breakdown of Alvarez’s Barcelona move has handed the Gunners a genuine opening. Whether Atletico’s firm stance on retaining their star striker can be overcome in the remaining days of the window remains the central question.