Crazy twist in the transfer poker over Julian Alvarez! Atletico Madrid reportedly back down - but only under one special condition

According to the Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, Atletico Madrid are now prepared after all to let the transfer-seeking Julian Alvarez leave, but rule out a deal with Barcelona.

Months of dissent have left the Colchoneros camp accepting that keeping the 26-year-old attacker in Diego Simeone's squad no longer looks practical.

Even so, Atletico's hierarchy have tied their sudden willingness to negotiate to one non-negotiable condition: they will not give Barcelona the green light under any circumstances. That means nothing will come of the vice world champion's preferred destination.

Barca submitted several offers to the capital club in recent weeks, but Atletico rejected them immediately. Instead of entering negotiations, Atletico's hierarchy repeatedly pointed to the contractually stipulated €500 million release clause.

Julian Alvarez probably does not want to join Arsenal

Meanwhile, the door appears to be opening for a move to the Premier League. According to the report, the English champions Arsenal are pushing hard for Alvarez and, under the club's new stance, would therefore also have permission to sign him.

Right now, though, that move is collapsing because of the player's veto. The forward is refusing the switch to London and instead insists on a move to Barcelona, with whom, according to several Spanish media outlets, he has already had an agreement for some time. Initial contact is said to have come at the start of the year.

How did the rift between Julian Alvarez and Atletico Madrid come about?

The conflict started earlier. In February, according to the Argentine's account, Atletico's hierarchy verbally assured him he would be allowed to leave the club in the summer if an adequate offer arrived.

That promise was not honoured, and the rift followed. At the World Cup, Alvarez finally took the unrest public when he said a transfer was the best option for him and also for Atletico.

Those statements sharply worsened the atmosphere between the two sides. Madrid officials were still insisting in public only a few days ago that they would not let the centre-forward leave under any circumstances, but the pressure now appears to have forced a rethink. Even so, the situation remains deadlocked because Alvarez still wants a move to Camp Nou.