Arsenal, Barcelona Fight To Sign Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez

Arsenal remain interested in signing Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez, with Sky in Italy’s Luca Bendoni reporting that initial discussions have already taken place between the clubs at the ownership level and that communication lines remain open.

Arsenal’s sporting director, Andrea Berta, previously held the same role at Atletico before moving to the Emirates last year, giving the Gunners inside knowledge of the club’s structure.

However, Atletico do not want to sell, and there remains a significant gap between the two clubs’ valuations of the Argentina international.

Adding to Arsenal’s challenge is Alvarez’s own preference, which is believed to lean toward a move to Barcelona, though the Gunners continue to monitor the situation closely.

Barcelona, for their part, are not giving up on their pursuit and could raise their offer once the World Cup concludes.

President Joan Laporta says the club’s current bid of just over £100m remains on the table, though sources in Spain indicate Barcelona could increase it to more than £110m (€130m) plus bonuses.

The club have yet to decide whether to formally raise the offer, but even if they do, it is unlikely to be well received at Atletico, given that relations between the two clubs have deteriorated sharply amid a public spat on social media.

As a result, Atletico are considered almost certain to maintain their refusal to sell.

Laporta believes Atletico’s resistance stems largely from the fact that they have not yet identified a replacement for Alvarez, while Atletico CEO Miguel Gil Marin has accused Barcelona of “disrespecting us” throughout the pursuit.

“I spoke with Gil Marin. He told me they were not planning to let him go, but the offer is firm and we stand by it,” Laporta said.

“It remains on the table and the deal could still go through, but the offer is not open-ended. Atletico said no because they didn’t have a replacement. If they get one, we will see.”

Alvarez is expected to go on holiday once his World Cup campaign with Argentina ends, before returning to pre-season training with Atletico, where talks over his future with the club’s hierarchy are considered highly likely.

Sky Sports News has already reported that signing for Barcelona remains Alvarez’s personal dream, with his family said to want to continue living in Spain – a factor that poses a major obstacle for both Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, who are also interested in the forward.

Privately, however, Atletico are understood to be more open to selling Alvarez to either Arsenal or PSG, should the player himself push to leave the Metropolitano for either club.

Adding further context to the transfer saga, Real Madrid announced last month that they had a £130m (€150m) bid for Alvarez rejected by Atletico.