What Diego Simeone was heard saying to Julian Alvarez provides Arsenal transfer clarity
Julian Alvarez is back in Atletico Madrid training
Arsenal's chances of landing Julian Alvarez late in the transfer window appear increasingly slim after the Argentine returned to Atletico Madrid team training on Sunday.
Over the past week, Alvarez had missed several sessions after it was claimed he was suffering from a stomach bug and mental struggles following intense speculation over his future.
The ex-Manchester City starlet has been pushing to join Barcelona, his dream transfer destination, but a deal hasn't proved possible due to the collapse of relations between Atleti and Barca.
Throughout the ordeal, Arsenal have been waiting in the wings. They've been ready to strike an agreement with their Spanish counterparts, provided they received encouragement from the forward that he'd be willing to return to the Premier League. So far, that encouragement hasn't arrived.
Now, barring any dramatic U-turn, the direction of travel is that Alvarez will remain at Atletico. During Sunday's training session, Diego Simeone and assistant Gabi were heard praising the Argentine by the onlooking media.
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There were shouts of "Good one, Julian!" and "Good, Juli, that’s it," as the 26-year-old worked alongside his team-mates. It feels as though the long-running summer transfer is finally being resolved and signs, at this moment, point towards Alvarez being reintegrated into Simeone's team.
Arsenal are relaxed should that be so. They saw Alvarez as a unique market opportunity and someone who would immediately elevate the team's overall level.
He is a long-standing target and somebody they were interested in signing back in 2024, when the player was weighing up options to leave City.
Arsenal are prepared to do a deal with Atletico Madrid for Julian Alvarez
They have put a lot of work into trying to unlock a transfer but have long known the centre-forward is keen to remain in Spain after conquering the Premier League with the Citizens.
Never say never in the transfer market but it would be a major surprise if they now received the green light from Alvarez this late in the day. There has been plenty of talk within the Spanish media about Atletico Madrid setting Alvarez a 'deadline' to decide whether he wants to join the Gunners.
It's hard to see how such a sizeable transfer happens with so little time remaining. The fact that the attacker is now back on the grass with his current employers indicates he might be ready to put this summer's soap-opera behind him in favour of getting back to doing what he loves: scoring goals.
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