Arsenal have become the only realistic escape route for Julián Álvarez this summer, and Mikel Arteta has reportedly gone as far as picking up the phone personally to convince the Argentine that a move to north London is the right one.
The backdrop here is that Álvarez has his heart set on Barcelona. Atlético Madrid are refusing point blank to let that happen and have maintained a firm stance throughout, which leaves the Gunners in an unusual position. Atlético’s refusal to deal with Barcelona has been Arsenal’s biggest boost in this whole saga, and with a week left in the window, it may be the decisive factor.
Why Arsenal are now Julián Álvarez only option
[smartframe_images_embed customer-id=”b0c95bc04383cef69c6b47df872135cf” image-id=”WmOBKG0Fdl0M” style=”width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 7169px; aspect-ratio: 7169/4779;”]
José Álvarez Haya, covering developments for El Chiringuito, reports that Atlético are “desperate” to move him on and sell to Arsenal. He put it plainly on X: “Atlético’s problem is huge because they need to sell him to make a signing. And their only option, besides Barca, is Arsenal.”
Julián no jugará en el Barça.
El problema que tiene el Atlético es grande porque necesita venderlo para fichar algo. Y la única opción que tiene (al margen del Barça),el Arsenal.
Julián solo quiere Barça, lo ha hecho todo, pero el Atlético NO cumplirá su promesa.
Lío gigante. https://t.co/VzseFBW8Ih
— Jose Alvarez Haya (@10JoseAlvarez) August 25, 2026
Journalist Verónica Brunati has added further detail, noting that Arsenal were the first club to explore a deal and are fully aware of both Atlético’s conditions and Álvarez’s own wishes. The situation took another turn at the weekend when Atlético supporters booed him inside their own stadium, which has hardly strengthened the case for staying put. After all of that, Arsenal are genuinely the only side who can offer him a way out.
Arteta’s personal call to Julián Álvarez
[smartframe_images_embed customer-id=”b0c95bc04383cef69c6b47df872135cf” image-id=”WmOBJ3HxRpem” style=”width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 6000px; aspect-ratio: 6000/4000;”]
The most striking detail is Arteta’s direct involvement. According to Brunati: “Arteta tried to convince Julián that moving to London would be a good option and made it clear that he wants to count on him. The deal ultimately depends on Atlético’s and Julián’s willingness to negotiate his exit.”
That is a manager personally intervening to close a deal, which tells you how highly Arteta rates him. It also reflects how long this pursuit has been running behind the scenes at the Emirates.
The three obstacles Arsenal still need to clear
[smartframe_images_embed customer-id=”84d65181a95c24c4fea73e44b4e27a17″ image-id=”ltKDO6beN2op” style=”width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 4095px; aspect-ratio: 4095/2730;”]
Tuesday’s edition of AS reports Arsenal are still waiting on the Argentine, and that the Gunners could offer around €150 million, a figure which becomes considerably more tempting for Atlético given the atmosphere around the player right now.
The complication is that Álvarez himself does not particularly want to return to England, mainly for family reasons. Reports from Spain have pointed to bureaucratic hurdles around his family obtaining UK visas, though the specifics have not been spelled out. That leaves Arsenal with three separate problems to solve: convincing Diego Simeone’s side, convincing the player, and Atlético finding themselves a new number nine in the final week of the window.
On that last point, there may be a neat solution. Atlético are open to selling to Arsenal, and Viktor Gyökeres could potentially move in the opposite direction as part of the arrangement. If that materialises, it effectively removes two of Arsenal’s three obstacles in one go, leaving only the task of persuading Álvarez himself. Given Arteta has already made that call personally, the groundwork is clearly being laid.
