Atletico tell Arsenal to abandon January move for Julian Alvarez
Arsenal's hopes of prising Julian Alvarez away from Atletico Madrid in January have been dealt a fresh blow, with the Spanish club making clear the striker will not be sold mid season.
Alvarez has long been viewed as the attacker Arsenal would love to land, and the Gunners were reportedly planning a renewed approach once the winter window opened. According to Team Talk, those plans have effectively been shut down before they could even begin, with Atletico insistent that Alvarez stays put.
The Friday Injury Tracker
Who's out, who's back and what it means for the next two games.
A deal that never materialised
The saga goes back to the summer, when Alvarez pushed to leave Atletico Madrid. At one stage it appeared Atletico were willing to sell him to Arsenal largely to spite Barcelona, but the move collapsed because Alvarez himself only wanted to join the Catalan club and rejected the switch to north London.
Since then, the forward has reportedly apologised for trying to force through that exit, and Atletico are said to want to move past the episode entirely by keeping hold of him for the foreseeable future. That leaves Arsenal with little room to manoeuvre, even though their interest in the player remains genuine.
Arsenal's striker search goes on
There is no doubting Alvarez's quality. His goal scoring record at both Manchester City and Atletico Madrid speaks for itself, and it is easy to see why Arsenal have kept tabs on him. But with Atletico unwilling to budge in January, the club may have no choice but to shift its focus elsewhere.
Arsenal's need for attacking reinforcements is well documented, and the January window is shaping up to be a pivotal moment in that search. Competition for the market's top strikers is expected to be fierce, with plenty of clubs across Europe likely to be chasing similar targets.
For now, though, the Alvarez pursuit appears to be on hold rather than closed for good. Player situations can shift quickly in football, and Atletico's current stance does not guarantee the same will hold true come the summer. Arsenal will continue to monitor developments, but attention in the short term looks set to turn toward alternative options as the club works out how best to strengthen its forward line in January.
