Julian Alvarez was booed and insulted by Atletico Madrid supporters on his return to the Metropolitano last weekend.
The Argentina striker has been targeted by Barcelona all summer and his future is unclear after he openly expressed a desire to leave Atletico.
A move away having been blocked so far, Alvarez returned from the World Cup to begin the season with Atletico. His name was booed when the teams were announced before his side’s 2-2 draw with Villarreal.
The reaction continued when he began warming up shortly after the hour mark and got worse when he replaced Marc Pubill in the 67th minute. Some supporters shouted at him to leave.
The 26-year-old appeared unhappy with the reception and played poorly after coming on. He also did not join his teammates in applauding the Atletico supporters at full time, instead going straight down the tunnel. An Atletico scarf was insultingly thrown at his feet as he left.
Diego Simeone said afterwards that the team had agreed Alvarez should not approach the unhappy supporters with his teammates.
Is a Barcelona Move Still on the Cards?
Alvarez has been heavily linked to Barcelona this summer, but that chapter appeared to have been closed when he returned to training and apologised to his teammates for telling the media he wanted to leave.
Barcelona are still interested in the player, but they are well aware of Atletico’s stance. The Madrid club have resisted any attempts to open negotiations with the player this summer, whether from the Catalans or from their local rivals Real Madrid.
They have also complained publicly about what they consider to be improper tactics in the pursuit of their forward.
Barcelona will continue to monitor Alvarez’s situation until the end of the transfer window, but it is unlikely they will make any further move for him, save for an unexpected twist of events.
Sporting director Deco has already announced that the club are considering alternatives.
“We have solutions in the team, but we will probably make a move [for a striker] before the end of the transfer window,” Deco said last week.
There have been links to Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez, but there is too little development in that regard to say whether or not a move is possible.
What About Arsenal?
Arsenal have expressed interest in signing Alvarez. They were reportedly in touch with his agents as recently as last week to explore the possibility of a move.
There appears to be some understanding that if Atletico were willing to let Alvarez go, they would consider selling him only to a team outside La Liga, which is where Arsenal come in.
But a move for the player is likely to cost up to €150m, and possibly more, which is a region in which Arsenal would be unwilling to do a deal.
