Arsenal push for Alvarez as Atletico shut Barcelona out with zero-chance ultimatum

Julian Alvarez’s future at Atletico Madrid is heading toward a breaking point, with the Spanish club issuing a blunt declaration that Barcelona will not be allowed to sign the Argentine striker under any circumstances — clearing the path for Arsenal to press their case.

Atletico’s board of directors repeated their position in another strongly-worded statement this week, insisting a deal with Barcelona is “zero chance” of happening. Alvarez missed training for a second successive day on Thursday due to illness, with tensions at the Metropolitano described as threatening to reach boiling point.

The 26-year-old now faces a stark choice: remain at Atletico and risk a season of fractured relations with the club’s supporters, or agree to join the Premier League champions. Should he stay, Atletico would want Alvarez to publicly address fans to ease the fallout from a turbulent summer — though one source close to the player believes the saga has already passed the point of no return.

The roots of Alvarez’s frustration stretch back to last season, when he received a pain-numbing injection in his ankle to play in the Champions League semi-final second leg against Arsenal. The injury took time to heal, affecting his World Cup preparations, and there is an underlying feeling among those close to him that the sacrifice was never properly acknowledged by the club.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have been quietly methodical in their pursuit. Atletico director of football Mateu Alemany travelled to London last week and is believed to have held direct talks with the Gunners. According to well-placed sources, the groundwork has largely been completed and the final decision rests with Alvarez himself. The main obstacles are understood to be family logistics and the player’s preference to remain in Spain — ideally with Barcelona, having already won in England with Manchester City.

To fund the move, Arsenal are prepared to sell Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli. Jesus has already been separated from first-team training, while Martinelli is weighing up a lucrative switch to Al-Hilal. Manager Mikel Arteta has told his attackers they are welcome to seek clarity on their futures directly with him.

With Barcelona’s pursuit of Alvarez now effectively extinguished, attention at the Catalan club could shift toward Viktor Gyokeres, who was an unused substitute in their most recent fixture.