Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has reiterated that a decision has already been made regarding Julian Alvarez's future, even as Arsenal are now believed to be stepping up their interest after Vinicius Junior chose to remain at Real Madrid.
The Gunners' pursuit of the Brazilian ended when the Los Blancos star signed a new six‑year deal at the Bernabeu. Arsenal have been linked with Alvarez throughout the summer, but their interest now appears to have accelerated. Arsenal could now turn to target Julian Alvarez after missing out on Vinicius Junior, but any move is expected to be complicated.
After securing the £75million deal for Bruno Guimaraes, who is set to be the club's fourth arrival of the window - Alvarez could become the next major target. So far this summer, Arsenal have brought in Piero Hincapie, Illan Meslier and Christos Tzolis, with Guimaraes also now confirmed as the next arrival.
Alvarez has previously voiced his wish to depart Atletico this summer, with Barcelona understood to be his favoured destination. However, his manager has stressed that the situation remains unchanged and Atletico have no intention of selling Alvarez. "The situation is very clear, the club made a decision that Miguel Angel Gil Marin [Atletico's CEO] explained very well," Simeone said. "We are very happy with Julian, from a sporting perspective, we're very happy to have a player like Julian, and we'll help him continue to grow and improve."
Earlier in the window, Atletico accused Barcelona of 'harassing' Alvarez and his representatives and even issued a formal complaint to the Spanish Football Federation over their alleged improper pursuit of the Argentina star. It's understood Arsenal believe Atletico will refuse to sell to Barcelona unless the Blaugrana trigger Alvarez's eye‑watering £430m release clause. The Athletic recently reported that Alvarez is expected to meet Simeone to discuss his future at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium, with Barcelona also monitoring the situation.