Jeered by his own fans
Julian Alvarez endured a miserable Sunday afternoon. The Argentina striker was at the Metropolitano for Atletico Madrid’s draw with Villarreal (2-2), and the home support booed and insulted him for most of it. At the final whistle he walked down the tunnel alone, to a fresh round of jeers.
The Madrid crowd is making him pay for his wish to leave, which has been out in the open for weeks. The question now is a different one. Can Alvarez still play in this stadium after a reception like that?
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150 million to get the door open
The backlash may not last. According to The Athletic, Atletico’s hierarchy have not ruled out a sale in the closing days of the window, with club sources ready to weigh offers around 150 million euros for the Argentina international.
That number says plenty. They are not pushing their player out, but they have hung a price on him, and at that level Atletico would bank a huge profit on a striker who arrived from Manchester City in the summer of 2024 for a club-record fee. Alvarez, a World Cup winner in 2022, is still tied to a long-term deal.
One destination is off the table from the start. Barcelona were linked all summer and never came close to anything concrete. The relationship between the two clubs is still the sticking point.
Arsenal back in the frame
That leaves Arsenal. The Gunners tried their luck earlier in the summer, and The Athletic report will only fuel fresh talk of another move from London. Nothing has leaked from the English side yet.
The window shuts in a week. Atletico’s position looks like a gamble: wait for an absurd bid, or hold on to a striker already at odds with his own stands. Both roads cost something.
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