The situation of Atlético Madrid star Julián Álvarez is extremely thorny, as the player wishes to leave the Rojiblancos and pursue a new professional experience in his football career.
Álvarez wants to move to Barcelona, where the 26-year-old has previously hinted at his desire to play for the Blaugrana, stating that he wants to fulfill his dream.
Atlético Madrid is completely refusing to sell Álvarez to Barcelona. The Spanish capital club confirmed in a statement published last Wednesday that the issue of selling the player to the Blaugrana is a matter of honor (details here).
The newspaper "Sport" noted that Atlético Madrid remains firm in its stance regarding letting Álvarez go to Barcelona, while the Rojiblancos want to offload the player to any club outside of Spain, with Arsenal being the most prominent interested party in signing the Argentine star.
It added that Álvarez's situation with Atlético Madrid has reached a dead end, as Arsenal has not obtained the player's consent to join their squad, which is a prerequisite for officially starting negotiations with Atlético.
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It clarified that Atlético Madrid is well aware that Álvarez's departure is the best solution, but there is a disagreement regarding the player's destination, as the latter only wants to play for Barcelona, while Atlético wants to sell Julián to Arsenal.
It further stated that if Álvarez remains at Atlético Madrid, the situation will be truly bad for the player, and it will be difficult for him to return to his usual level, in addition to Álvarez's currently poor relationship with the Atlético fans, which was evident during this week's La Liga match against Villarreal.
It continued that there is an opportunity for Barcelona to sign Álvarez, which lies in the possibility of the player remaining at Atlético Madrid until the next winter transfer market in January, and then leaving.
It added that it is unlikely that Álvarez will continue at a club where he does not feel a sense of belonging and does not wish to play for again, but now Atlético Madrid must understand that Álvarez's long-term contract cannot become a shackle that keeps him against his will at the Spanish club, while there is no clear guarantee of the Argentine international's ability to leave in January.
Sport reported that the issue of selling Álvarez to Barcelona has become a matter of pride for Atlético Madrid, as the player's move to the Camp Nou stadium would represent a defeat for the Spanish capital club.
Now, the only option for Álvarez is to return to the English Premier League and move to Arsenal, which is something the player does not want. With approximately four and a half years remaining on Álvarez's contract with Atlético Madrid, the player's departure from the Wanda Metropolitano stadium this summer currently seems unlikely.
