Julian Alvarez is experiencing the worst days of his career. In the match of the 2nd round of La Liga at Metropolitano Stadium, Atletico drew 2-2 with Villarreal, but the most notable thing that remained after the match was the attitude of Los Rojiblancos fans towards Julian Alvarez.
When the spokesperson on the field read the registered squad of the home team, the fans booed and whistled when Julian Alvarez's name came up. Worse, when this striker entered the field, he was called "the mouse" by home fans. Many people even insulted and cursed Alvarez and wanted the club to send the 26-year-old star away as soon as possible.
The root cause of the incident came from the statement of Alvarez himself during the 2026 World Cup. Sharing with ESPN, the former Man City star said that transfer is the best path for him in the upcoming period to realize his dream. At that time, the Spanish media was stirred up because almost all sources thought the destination was Barcelona. It is understandable that Blaugrana will part ways with Robert Lewandowski, so they need a younger center forward who is used to playing at the top to replace him.
Not stopping there, Arsenal and Real Madrid also appeared as places that could allow Alvarez to join. Atletico will not sell their top star to Real, even the red and white striped team believes that the neighbor's offer is not serious. Meanwhile, Arsenal has Viktor Gyokeres playing center forward, so they will not really spend 150 million Euros on the player market anymore, as the price Atletico is listing.
On Atletico's side, they are aware that they cannot sell their star to two great rivals, Real Madrid and Barcelona. Therefore, Arsenal is like a potential partner. An offer from the "Gunners" with a price of 150 million Euros could make Atletico nod immediately, but the English team almost did not. If Arsenal really wanted Alvarez to upgrade the squad and depth, they would have been interested in this striker from the beginning of the transfer window and seriously negotiated through many stages, not waiting until Barca and Real did not buy to jump in.
On Barcelona's side, the price of 150 million Euros is unacceptable, especially in the context that the team has just spent a lot of money to recruit Rodri (total value up to more than 80 million Euros). Barca is lacking a center forward, that is the truth after breaking up with Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres. However, they will not let the team become a place for Atletico to rake in money so easily. However, in another parallel direction, Atletico itself does not want to sell to Barca. This is the view that the Madrid team has resolutely maintained since the beginning of the transfer window.
Barca understands very well Alvarez's desire to join Camp Nou. Barca is still following the Alvarez deal until the last days of the 2026 summer transfer window, but in parallel with that, they are also considering backup options. This is what Sporting Director Deco shared with the media, so rumors related to Lautaro Martinez have appeared. However, from Inter's side, letting this 29-year-old captain leave is almost impossible, in a season they need to defend the Serie A championship.
On Arsenal's side, they have been following Alvarez's situation for quite a long time but are not sure whether the striker wants to return to England to play or not, after playing for Man City and succeeding in winning titles. Arsenal has 2 problems in this deal. First, the transfer fee of 150 million Euros is too expensive. Second, they understand that Alvarez's mind at this time is only Barcelona, so is it really necessary to recruit a player who does not direct any attention to the Emirates stadium or not?
