Arsenal told they can sign Julian Alvarez for €130m after Atletico U-turn

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Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Premier League champions Arsenal have been told that they can sign Julian Alvarez for €130 million by Atletico Madrid, with head coach of the Spaniards Diego Simeone having given the green light for the move.

Alvarez has been pushing to leave Los Colchoneros all summer and has seen bids from Barcelona and Real Madrid rejected.

The pressure he is exerting on his club means that they are ready to sell for €130m – but they are not going to allow the player to make his dream move to Camp Nou, according to Argentine source BolaVIP.

Current ETV

Julián Alvarez

F (C)

Atlético Madrid

Julián Alvarez

F (C)

Atlético Madrid

€93.4M

ETV Range

€84M - €102.7M

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Julian Alvarez’s relationship with Atletico Madrid in pieces

Atletico Madrid have been firm that Alvarez will not leave the club this summer, but recent events have made them waver. However, they will not allow him to join their rivals, having grown angry at the player’s agent for persistently searching for a summer move.

A public war of words has begun, with Atleti CEO Miguel Angel Gil attacking the 26-year-old's representative.

“We are going to help Julian and continue to take care of him so that he can give us his full potential, because we need him to continue competing among the best in Europe. We must understand that Julian has not had the best advisors around him regarding his professional career in recent months,” he explained last week.

Fernando Hidalgo, Alvarez’s agent, replied with a cryptic Instagram post that read: “Never ask a liar why he lied, to explain it to you, he would have to lie again.”

In turn, the club’s fans have grown angry at the player and directed insulting chants towards him on the opening day of the season as Atleti beat Malaga 2-0 – despite the fact the forward wasn’t even playing.

Simeone, meanwhile, says Alvarez can leave as he only wants committed players in his squad.

Barcelona ‘practically banned’ from signing Alvarez

While Atletico Madrid have shifted their position and are now willing for Alvarez to go should their €130m asking price be met, they have “practically banned the Catalan club” from signing him.

This leaves Arsenal as the only credible option in the market for the forward, the Argentine source reports.

But it’s not so simple for the Gunners. Alvarez has his heart set on Barcelona and is reportedly not even considering a return to the Premier League, where he starred with Manchester City.

“I was told the other day that Julian Alvarez won't answer Mikel Arteta's calls,” renowned Spanish journalist Josep Pedrerol claimed.

“Arteta called Julian, but he didn't answer because Julian Alvarez doesn't want to return to the Premier League.

“Atletico need him to go to the Premier League because they don't want a disgruntled player and they need money for signings.

“Atletico are in a difficult situation, and at FC Barcelona, they hope that Gil Marin will eventually swallow his pride and allow Julian to go to Barca because it's the only option.”

With less than a week of the transfer market remaining, Alvarez’s situation remains as unpredictable as ever, with no one apparently willing to give an inch.