Julian Alvarez's Future: Arsenal or Barcelona?

Julian Alvarez has stopped turning up to Atletico Madrid training, the tension around his future now impossible to ignore. Told privately that the club will not sell him to Barcelona, the Argentina striker is effectively left with one escape route: Arsenal.

According to sources spoken to by BBC Sport, Atletico informed Alvarez and his representatives earlier this week that they would not enter negotiations with Barcelona over a transfer. The message was clear and direct. Since then, the 26-year-old has missed two straight days of training, officially citing illness.

Atletico have not tried to hide their position. Within 24 hours, the La Liga side issued two public statements underlining that Alvarez will not be allowed to complete his desired move to Barca in the coming days. The door to Catalonia has been slammed shut, and loudly.

Arsenal, though, are being waved in.

The Spanish club are open to selling Alvarez to the Premier League champions and have already held direct talks over what would be one of the standout deals of the summer window. Atleti director Mateu Alemany travelled to London last week, where he met Arsenal officials and spelled out the price: 150m euros (£128m).

Mikel Arteta wants Alvarez now. The Arsenal manager is pushing to bring him in this month, but the player’s firm preference for Barcelona has stalled the English club’s efforts. Arsenal are ready. Atletico are ready. The hesitation lies with Alvarez.

Even so, discussions between the two clubs are described as positive. The framework is there. If Alvarez signals in the coming days that he is willing to join Arsenal, the expectation is that the deal could accelerate quickly.

The public sparring escalated on Wednesday. After Barcelona president Joan Laporta reiterated that they still wanted to sign Alvarez, Atletico hit back with a blunt statement: “There is 0% chance of selling him to Barca.”

On Thursday, the Atletico board went even further, releasing another statement: “The members of Atletico de Madrid's board of directors have unanimously expressed their absolute support for the club's decision to not negotiate the transfer of Julian Alvarez to FC Barcelona.”

The lines are drawn. Barcelona are out. Arsenal are in. Now the spotlight turns to Alvarez: does he hold out for the move he wants, or choose the only exit Atletico are willing to open?