Julian Alvarez has missed two consecutive days of training at Atletico Madrid, citing illness, after being privately informed that the club will not sell him to Barcelona. The Spanish club released two public statements within 24 hours reiterating that there is zero chance of him joining Barca.
Despite the 26-year-old's strong desire to move to Camp Nou, Atletico are open to selling him to Arsenal. Direct talks have already taken place between the clubs, and Atleti director Mateu Alemany met with Arsenal counterparts in London last week to discuss a potential 150m euro fee.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is keen to secure the forward this month, though his pursuit was initially halted by the player's preference for Barcelona. Nevertheless, club-to-club discussions between Atletico and Arsenal have been described as positive.
If Alvarez decides to give Arsenal the green light in the coming days, the transfer is expected to move forward very quickly. Meanwhile, Atletico's board has unanimously backed the firm stance against negotiating any potential deal with Barcelona.
