Julian Alvarez makes U-turn on Arsenal transfer stance as Romano gives 421-word update
Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez has now reportedly softened his stance on joining Arsenal this summer after dramatic scenes at the Riyadh Air Metropolitan Stadium on Sunday.
It has been clear from early in the transfer window that Arsenal had made Alvarez their top striker target this summer but the Gunners have faced competition from Barcelona all summer.
Alvarez has made it clear that he wants to move to Barcelona over any other club but Atletico Madrid have been extremely firm on their stance that he will not be sold to the Catalan giants.
That has left Arsenal as the only option for Alvarez if he wants to move this summer and it had been claimed that the Argentina international has no intention of returning to the Premier League, where he used to play for Manchester City.
However, AS now claim that Alvarez has softened his stance on joining Arsenal and isn’t ‘completely ruling out’ a transfer to the Emirates Stadium.
The report still admits that a move to Barcelona is the one he wants above all but that he has not ‘closed the door’ on a summer transfer to Arsenal.
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Alvarez was relentlessly booed by Atletico Madrid supporters during their 2-2 draw with Villarreal on Sunday over his active push to sign for rivals Barcelona.
The Argentina international went down the tunnel without any of his team-mates at the end of the match as the rest of the Atletico Madrid squad clapped the fans.
And now Italian transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on his future and commented on the scenes on Sunday.
Romano said on his YouTube channel: “Talking about opportunities and big names, I also wanted to mention to you the situation of Julian Alvarez. It’s been a very tense afternoon at the Metropolitano.
“Julian Alvarez played in the second half. At the beginning of the game, when the speaker mentioned his name, the fans were going against him and then in the second half he was playing but not making any impact.
“You can see in his face that the player is not calm at all, he’s not relaxed at all. And we can understand it’s a difficult situation for everyone, for the club, for the player, for everyone involved.
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“And then after the game, Julian left while his team-mates were saying hi to the fans. Julian left the pitch alone and so it was a significant moment.
“Then Diego Simeone said it was the club, it was us telling Julian to go straight to the tunnel and not go to say hi to the fans.
“But at the same time, the situation around Julian is tense. So it’s going to be an important week because Atletico Madrid insist on their position. They don’t want to sell to Barcelona.
“But Barcelona, as of tonight, Sunday night, almost Monday, they didn’t send any bid for any other striker yet.
“So this week will be crucial to understanding if Barcelona will move on a different target or will keep waiting for a miracle on the Julian Alvarez story. So let’s see what’s going to happen there.”
Arsenal ‘could afford a deal for Julian Alvarez’ – Romano
On the chance of Arsenal landing Alvarez, Romano added: “And then don’t forget about Arsenal. Because my understanding, I told you in the recent videos and I keep telling you today, is that Arsenal financially believe internally they could afford a deal for Julian Alvarez.
“Especially if Gabriel Martinelli goes to Al-Hilal, and this deal is ongoing. The player is open to joining Al-Hilal. So Martinelli to Al-Hilal is possible.
“If Martinelli goes to Al-Hilal, it will be extra money for Arsenal. And so financially, Arsenal could afford a deal for Julian Alvarez. That’s the feeling at the club.
“Even if the price is high, they believe they could strike an agreement with Atletico Madrid. The point is the player.
“The player, until today, never opened doors to Arsenal. But Arsenal are still there, following the situation. If Julian changes his mind, decides to open doors to England and to Arsenal, Arsenal are still there, still watching the situation.
“So still watch out for Arsenal and Julian until the end of this summer transfer window, in case the player changes his position.”
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