Tottenham’s former skipper Cristian Romero appears to have ended Arsenal’s hopes of acquiring Julian Alvarez after offering his assessment of the Atletico Madrid forward’s situation.
The centre-back, who completed a £34m switch from north London to the Metropolitano Stadium earlier this month, has cast doubt over whether his international colleague will be heading to the Emirates Stadium this summer.
Alvarez has made no secret of his ambition to move to Barcelona, with the Catalan club seeing an initial offer of €100m turned down by the Madrid outfit. The transfer saga sparked tension between the two Spanish institutions, leading Atletico to file a complaint with FIFA accusing their rivals of approaching the Argentine without permission.
With the Barcelona route currently blocked, Arsenal have been monitoring the 26-year-old throughout the transfer window. However, Romero’s recent observations suggest the forward may not be departing Spain just yet.
The 28-year-old centre-back expressed his happiness at seeing his club and country team-mate remain committed, describing Alvarez as someone who continues to demonstrate hunger in front of goal and a desire to entertain supporters. Romero indicated the striker appears fully focused on his football.
Despite reports that Atletico have given Arsenal the green light to proceed with a deal for the player, Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo understands the Argentine has no interest in returning to English football. The forward departed Manchester City last year and remains determined to complete a move to the Camp Nou instead.
In June, the player acknowledged discussions had taken place regarding his future, stating that a transfer would benefit all parties and that he intended to pursue his ambition.
Alvarez rejoined his teammates for pre-season preparations following an extended period of rest after guiding Argentina to the World Cup final. Nevertheless, he was not included in Atletico’s matchday squad for their opening league fixture, a home victory over Malaga.
Manager Diego Simeone clarified that the striker had not reached the necessary fitness levels to participate, expressing optimism that a few additional days of training would bring him closer to full match sharpness. The Argentine coach emphasised that the club were managing both the individual and the player with care.
Arsenal begin their top-flight season on Friday when they face newly-promoted Coventry City at home.