Atlético Madrid has set its terms for agreeing to sell Argentine Julian Alvarez, after he was subjected to boos and angry chants from his team's fans during the match against Villarreal, amid his insistence on leaving, with strong interest from Barcelona and Arsenal.
Alvarez came on as a substitute in the 66th minute of the match, which ended in a 2-2 draw, but he faced jeers from the moment his name was announced among the substitutes, and the fans continued to express their anger after he entered the pitch.
After the final whistle, the player did not head to the stands to greet the fans with his teammates, but instead went directly to the tunnel leading to the dressing rooms.
This crisis comes after Alvarez announced during the 2026 World Cup his desire to leave Atlético, confirming that a transfer could be the best path to achieving his dream, in a reference widely interpreted as relating to joining Barcelona.
Atlético Madrid's terms for selling Alvarez
According to The Athletic, citing a source close to Atlético Madrid's management, the club has set a clear condition for allowing Alvarez to leave in the final days of the transfer window: receiving an offer worth 150 million euros.
This comes despite the fact that Atlético had already rejected a 150 million euro offer from Real Madrid last June, confirming that the club did not want to sell the player and was sticking to the massive release clause in his contract (500 million euros).
However, the current situation appears more flexible towards Arsenal specifically, as the second condition is to sell Alvarez if an English offer worth 150 million euros arrives, while refusing his transfer to a direct rival such as Real Madrid or Barcelona.
For its part, Arsenal is closely monitoring the situation, after the club has been linked with the Argentine striker for a long time, given Mikel Arteta's desire to add a world-class striker to his attacking line.
Previously, Arsenal informed Atlético of its interest in Alvarez and also contacted the player's camp, but it needs to receive a clear signal from the striker that he is ready to move to London before entering into advanced official negotiations.