Arsenal ‘waiting on Julian Alvarez’s camp’ as transfer race hots up with Atletico refusing to sell to Barcelona

ARSENAL are waiting to hear from Julian Alvarez’s camp before making a move for the star. The Argentina and Atletico Madrid forward has been a key target of Mikel Arteta‘s this summer. Arsenal are waiting to hear from Julian Alvarez’s team over a potential move to the club Credit: Getty Mikel Arteta would consider splashing the cash if the club are told Alvarez is eager to play for them Credit: Getty Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid are also interested in what he can bring to the table, with Alvarez himself thought to be pushing for a move to the former. But Atletico’s current stance is that they are unwilling to sell to their La Liga rivals, according to the Athletic. Sign up for the Arsenal newsletter Thank you! The position opens the door for the Gunners to make a swoop for his signature, with reports suggesting a fee of around £130million would be enough to test his club’s resolve. But it appears that Arsenal would be unwilling to put that sort of money on the table without reassurance from Alvarez’s camp. Arteta and Co are not sure how eager the former Manchester City man is to join the project, especially given his desire to play for La Blaugrana. They would want assent from his camp before entering negotiations over what would likely be a nine-figure deal. Arsenal are helped by the fact that Alvarez’s future at the Metropolitano is looking increasingly unsustainable – with fans voicing their frustrations at his attempts to join their league rivals. The star was mercilessly booed during Atletico’s home game at the weekend, both when his name was read out before the game and when he was introduced off the bench. Most read in Sport CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS He headed straight down the tunnel instead of addressing fans, where he was met by more jeers and saw an Atletico scarf thrown at his feet by fans around the entrance. Manager Diego Simeone was blunt when asked about how Alvarez could deal with the backlash, answering: “I’m not here to give advice. What I have to do is concentrate on my work, which is, from a sporting sense, to give my best for Atletico Madrid. “The only thing I know is that if Atletico Madrid want to win a title, we need to be together, we need to have forwards, and we need to have important forwards. And for that, we need to work on it as a result, everyone, on what we need.” It seems hard to picture a way back for Alvarez now, after he publicly revealed his hope to move away from the club while at the World Cup earlier this summer. If Atletico hold strong in their refusal to strengthen their rivals, and opinion at the Metropolitano does not mellow, Arsenal may end up as the only option that could get Alvarez out of there. It is not so surprising then that Spanish outfit AS report that his position on only wanting a Barcelona move is softening. He is still holding out hope for his ‘dream’ Barca move, but is not closing the door on the Prem yet. Comment now