Julian Alvarez-Atletico Madrid separated under the same roof: no to Barcelona, yes to Arsenal for €150 million? Fans insult him and protest

Home truths. As things stand, Julian Alvarez is still an Atletico Madrid player, but the chances of him leaving before 1 September remain high. What is certain is that the Argentine, who joined the Metropolitano from Manchester City in August 2024 for more than £80 million (around €95 million), will not move to Barcelona, with whom he has had an agreement since May. Atleti have been clear: never to their Blaugrana rivals, who made an unforgivable mistake by contacting a player under contract (the same applies to Real Madrid). For the club from the Spanish capital, it is a matter of principle as well as money: Alvarez will not play for any other Spanish club. But compared with a few days ago, there is less certainty over him staying.

Irreparable break with the club and the fans

From "he stays" it has shifted to "he could leave for abroad". In truth, it is hard to see him staying and mending things with the club and the fans, with whom the rift is beyond repair. The fans are furious, not so much because he wants to move on, but because of the way he asked to be sold: the statements in the middle of the Club World Cup, the pressure from his agent, the push from the Catalan media. For almost everyone, it is better that he leaves. The former River Plate player started on the bench against Villarreal yesterday and, when he came on to whistles in the 66th minute in place of Pubill, he failed to make his mark. At the final whistle, things got worse: while his team-mates were approaching the stands to greet and thank their supporters, the Argentine chose to head quickly towards the dressing room, without joining the rest of the team.

Future at Arsenal?

Atletico Madrid are insisting on a €500 million release clause, but only for Spanish clubs. In reality, Alvarez can leave for far less, though the fee would still be well above €100 million. According to the English media, the colchoneros want €150 million for his transfer. Arsenal are seriously considering a move and plan to fund it through the sales of Gyokeres, a Barcelona target, and above all Martinelli, who is out of the project and being courted by Al Hilal. Alvarez, according to Marca, is not tempted by the idea of playing for any club other than Barcelona and would be very reluctant to return to the Premier League after his experience at Manchester City, also for family reasons and issues linked to visas.