Atletico Madrid set Julian Alvarez asking price for Arsenal as Barcelona rebuttal continues | OneFootball

Barcelona still have not given up hope of signing Julian Alvarez, although with only a week to go until the transfer window closes, time is starting to run out. Atletico Madrid continue to insist that a deal will not be done with a direct rival, although the Catalans still believe that an agreement can be found in the next seven days.

Alvarez is clear that Barcelona is his desired move this summer, which is why he continues to hold out – and also hope that Atleti will reconsider their stance. However, it is almost certain that they do not, which is why he may need to start considering alternatives if he is to ensure an exit from the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.

Right now, the only alternative Alvarez has is a return to the Premier League with Arsenal. Atleti are open to letting him return to England, but as per The Athletic, they will only do so if a fee of €150m is received by next week’s deadline.

Alvarez has not opened door to Arsenal – yet

At the moment, Alvarez still hopes for a move to Barcelona, but he could open the door to Arsenal in the next few days. The reigning Premier League champions are yet to make a concrete move, but they will do so if they receive encouragement from the Argentina international and his representatives.

If Alvarez does express a desire to join Arsenal, it would almost certainly end Barcelona’s chances of signing him. They cannot force Atleti to sell to them, but as long as there was no other option, there has been hope that Los Colchoneros would eventually relax their stance, given that keeping an unhappy player at the club could be problematic. In the end, they could get a positive solution for them, but it would leave the Catalans out in the cold.