Arsenal handed huge Julian Alvarez boost after another major transfer twist

Blockbuster move could still happen before next week’s summer deadline

Arsenal look to have been handed a fresh boost over Julian Alvarez after yet another new twist in the summer’s most high-profile and protracted transfer saga.

Atletico Madrid striker Alvarez is Arsenal’s No1 target heading into the final days of the window, with the club ready to launch a big-money move for his services.

However, they will only do so if they are given sufficient encouragement by the player’s camp, which does not appear to have been forthcoming yet with the market due to close at 11pm BST on Tuesday night (September 1).

Alvarez has been public with his desire to complete a dream move to Barcelona, who were said to have revived their push for the Argentina international in the final week of the window after failing with an offer worth €100million (£85.7m) earlier this summer.

However, Atletico have been left furious with their LaLiga rivals’ pursuit of Alvarez and released another strong statement on Thursday in which they reiterated once again that they would not consider selling the player to Barcelona - a decision they said had received unanimous support from the club’s board of directors.

Alvarez, meanwhile, was said to be becoming more open to the idea of a potential return to the Premier League, having won a plethora of major silverware during two seasons at Manchester City after first arriving in Europe from River Plate in 2022.

Happier times: Arsenal transfer target Julian Alvarez has cut a dejected figure at Atletico Madrid of late

PA

The 26-year-old - who is under contract at the Metropolitano Stadium until 2030 - has now missed two consecutive days of Atletico training due to illness, having received a hostile reception from the club’s own fans as he returned for Diego Simeone’s side off the bench during Sunday’s LaLiga clash with Villarreal.

Arsenal’s hopes of signing Alvarez now appear to have been boosted again after Atletico CEO Miguel Angel Gil admitted that a move to a club other than Barcelona could yet be on the cards.

"My personal dream is for Julian Alvarez to stay at Atleti,” he told Movistar in Spain. “If he wants to leave the club, we will look for an alternative, but he will never, ever, ever go to Barcelona.

“Julian is in poor health. There are people who have taken it upon themselves to deceive and confuse him, and he is going through a difficult situation.

“We are outraged and repulsed by this lack of ethics. We are not going to negotiate with Barcelona. The only firm decision is that we will not negotiate.”