As Atlético de Madrid maintain that Julián Alvarez will not be sold this summer — to FC Barcelona or anywhere else — reigning Premier League champions Arsenal have stepped up their interest in Atlético’s star forward and are hopeful of signing him after the FIFA World Cup.
At least, that is what reports in the British media are saying on Thursday.
Sami Mokbel of BBC Sport and Gary Jacob at The Times report that Arsenal are switching focus to Alvarez as its “priority target” at center-forward. That
follows reporting last weekend from The Independent’s Miguel Delaney, who said Arsenal are “pushing” to land the 26-year-old in the coming weeks. Arsenal have just closed a deal to sign Club Brugge winger Christos Tzolis, and sporting director Andrea Berta has intense interest in Aston Villa and England attacker Morgan Rogers.
Alvarez and Argentina will face Spain in East Rutherford, N.J. on Sunday for the 2026 World Cup final; Argentina are aiming to become only the third nation to capture consecutive World Cup titles. Alvarez has scored one goal in the tournament, when he bent in beautifully an eventual winner against Switzerland during extra time of the quarterfinal round.
Atlético for weeks have publicly insisted that Alvarez is not for sale, and Barcelona’s interest in the player has been met coldly. Ahead of the team’s traditional preseason dinner in Segovia, club chairman Enrique Cerezo again insisted that Alvarez would be going nowhere in this transfer window, despite the player’s public proclamation last month that he had asked Atleti to facilitate his “dream” move to Catalonia.
“Joan Laporta is a good friend and a good president, and he knows very well, as you all know, where Julián will play next year, which is where he is,” Cerezo said.
However, in the event that Alvarez wants to force an exit no matter what, and he no longer gives preference to Barcelona, a sale to Arsenal might well be the best option for all parties. Mikel Arteta’s attack will be overhauled after the Gunners came up short in May’s Champions League final loss to PSG, and — in my opinion — Atlético would be relatively happy to sell a disgruntled Alvarez back to the Premier League. The clubs could even negotiate one of those “separate but linked” transfers that would see the polarizing Viktor Gyökeres head to Atleti, though it must be noted that those deals are notoriously tough to pull off.
Alternatively, Alvarez could return from his post-World Cup holiday and simply continue to play for Atlético, although he will receive a hostile reception from angry fans at the Metropolitano. Given that Alvarez is under contract until 2030, this is the most logical outcome of this protracted saga. That hurt and those feelings of betrayal will disappear for some once he scores a few goals; for others, the disappointment will linger and cloud the 2026/27 season.
Either way, clarity on Alvarez’s future is coming soon. Thankfully. Because I have had it with all of this crap.
