Julián Álvarez Rumours: Atlético's Sunday Ultimatum, Arsenal's Interest and Why a Move Still Looks Unlikely

Julián Álvarez's future is unresolved with two days of the transfer window remaining, and every part of it remains rumour rather than fact. Sky Sports reported on 28 August that Atlético Madrid had given the Argentina forward until today, Sunday 30 August, either to open himself up to a move to Arsenal or to commit and stay. No bid has been lodged, no medical has been arranged, and no agreement between any two clubs has been reported by a credible source.

The background, as widely reported through August, is that Álvarez has pushed for a move to Barcelona all summer and that Atlético have refused to sell to a Liga rival. Arsenal emerged as the only exit the Spanish club were willing to sanction. On 29 August, David Ornstein told TNT Sports that the player had spoken to Mikel Arteta and told him he did not want to come.

What has actually been reported, and by whom

Atlético's public position has been consistent and unusually blunt. In a statement reported by Sky Sports on 27 August, the club said 'there will not be any negotiation and there is zero consideration of an Álvarez transfer to Barcelona'. Speaking to Marca, they went further: 'There is a zero-per-cent chance of selling him to Barcelona – it's not about money, it's about dignity.'

Barcelona have not hidden their interest. Their president, Joan Laporta, told Sky Sports on 27 August: 'We're very interested in the player. We'd like our offer to be accepted, and we say this with all due respect for Atlético Madrid.' Atlético chief executive Miguel Ángel Gil Marín had already told Marca that a €100m offer from Barcelona was turned down, and that the size of the number was not the point.

On the Arsenal side the reporting is warmer but no more concrete. Fabrizio Romano wrote in the week beginning 24 August that 'Arsenal feel they can reach an agreement with Atlético Madrid, they don't see any issues'. Ben Jacobs reported on 27 August that Atlético had told Arsenal they would consider offers in excess of £120m. ESPN sources on 28 and 29 August put a possible fee at around €150m and said Arsenal remained hopeful, while Sky Sports reported that Arsenal will not open club-to-club talks unless Álvarez shows genuine interest first. Every one of those is a report about willingness. None of them is a report of a deal.

The case against it happening

The strongest single piece of evidence is Ornstein's. Speaking on TNT Sports on 29 August, he said: 'He's spoken to Mikel Arteta and said that he doesn't want to come,' adding that 'Álvarez has shown no indication of wanting to join at this point.' That is a direct negative from the best-sourced reporter on the story, and nothing published since has softened it.

Atlético's refusals are on the record more than once, and they are not framed as a negotiating position. Gil Marín told Marca that 'we don't want to transfer him. We didn't accept the €100 million offer, nor will we accept one of €150 million or €200 million.' Álvarez is contracted to June 2030 with a release clause reported at £431m by Sky Sports and €500m by Goal and the Spanish press. Those two figures do not reconcile, and we are not going to pretend otherwise, but on either number a clause-triggered exit is not happening. Football365's rumour ranking on 30 August placed the move 19th of 20 and called it 'very unlikely'.

Then there is the simplest point of all. Nobody credible has reported a bid, a medical or an agreement. Arsenal's record fee is the £105m they paid for Declan Rice, and they would have to break it inside the last 48 hours of a window, for a player who has reportedly told their manager he does not want to join. Atlético, for their part, are top of LaLiga without him.

He is completely confused and, at the moment, he is going through a very difficult situation, both personally and professionally.— Miguel Ángel Gil Marín, Atlético Madrid chief executive, speaking to Marca

Key facts

Key numbers

• 26 - Álvarez's age; he was born on 31 January 2000
• 2030 - the year his Atlético contract runs to
• €95m / £82m - the fee including add-ons Atlético paid Manchester City in August 2024, a City club-record sale
• 29 - goals in 57 appearances in his first Atlético season, 2024-25
• 20 - goals in 49 appearances in 2025-26, joint top scorer with Alexander Sørloth
• 59 caps, 15 goals - his Argentina record, including the 2022 World Cup
• £105m - Arsenal's record fee, paid for Declan Rice, which they would have to break
• 19th of 20 - where Football365 ranked this rumour on 30 August

What happens next

The window closes on Tuesday 1 September at 23:00 BST, harmonised across the Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, the Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and the EFL. That leaves roughly 48 hours for a club-record Arsenal bid, an Atlético reversal and a player U-turn to happen in sequence, and in that order, when Sky's reporting is that Arsenal will not move until Álvarez does.

On the reporting as it stands, the likelier outcome is that nothing happens. Álvarez has one appearance and no goals this season and was left out of the squad for Saturday's 3-1 win at Sevilla, having also skipped training sessions. He was booed by Atlético supporters after a recent draw with Villarreal. Diego Simeone was careful when asked about it by beIN Sports over the weekend. 'It's a personal process,' he said, before adding: 'Something can always happen. Every year I say it… but I'm not saying this for any special reason.' Goal has reported that Atlético have offered an extension worth roughly €10m a season, €9m fixed plus €1m in bonuses. That is the club's answer to all of this, and it is still on the table.

It is worth remembering how good the player at the centre of this is, because the noise has rather buried it. Álvarez scored 29 goals in 57 games in his first season at Atlético and 20 in 49 in his second, finishing as joint top scorer with Alexander Sørloth. He won the 2022 World Cup with Argentina and was a treble winner at Manchester City. Whatever is or is not resolved by Tuesday, Atlético are arguing over a forward at the peak of his career, and Arsenal, who won the Premier League last season under Mikel Arteta, are not chasing him for no reason.

Atlético Madrid vs Athletic Club: kick-off time and where to watch

Atlético sit top of LaLiga going into next Saturday's meeting with Athletic Club, and then open their Champions League league phase against Liverpool on Wednesday 9 September. The kick-off time for the Athletic Club fixture, in UTC, in local Spanish time (CEST), in UK time (BST) and in US time (ET and PT), is published on the OneLightScore match page with the day and date attached as soon as LaLiga confirms the slot. Where to watch it, and how to watch it, depends on which country you are in: the TV channels holding LaLiga rights in Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States are all different, and so are the live stream options. Full country-by-country TV channel and live stream listings for this fixture, plus live scores and the running table, are on OneLightScore.

Our full TV listings and broadcast listings cover every LaLiga round and the Champions League league phase that begins on 8 September, with live scores running alongside them. If you want live football on TV, or simply to watch live online through deadline day and into the international break, it is all on OneLightScore.