Arsenal sent clear message as Julian Alvarez drops bombshell over Atletico Madrid future

Julian Alvarez struck twice on Tuesday evening as Atletico Madrid beat Tottenham 5-2 in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 clash

Arsenal have been handed encouragement Julian Alvarez is open to an Atletico Madrid exit this summer after he refused to provide assurances he will be at the club next season.

The Argentina international forward struck twice on Tuesday evening as Atleti stuck five goals past Tottenham to take an important step towards the Champions League quarter-finals.

Speaking after the game in the mixed zone, Alvarez was asked if he can "guarantee" that he'll stay put at the end of the season.

His reply was hardly convincing, stating: “I don’t know, I don’t know, but maybe yes, maybe no. You never know. But I’m very happy here. You ask me a question that will end up all over the place, but I’m happy, I’m thinking about the day-to-day, I’m working to improve, to give my best here, I never said anything bad about the club, I’m very grateful, the people also showed me their affection, so I’m very happy."

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When pushed on reports linking him with a transfer to Barcelona, the World Cup winner added: “I have nothing to say. These are things that are said on social media. A lot of things are said, but everyone posts their opinion and it just snowballs. I'm happy here, very content and competing in all the competitions.”

Arsenal, who were admirers of Alvarez during his time at Manchester City, are believed to be monitoring developments closely.

Reports previously indicated the player's agent Fernando Hidalgo recently attended Arsenal's Carabao Cup semi-final victory over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium in early February.

But even if Alvarez does decide to explore his options, a potential transfer is complicated by the World Cup and the fact Atletico are likely to drive a hard bargain.

He cost the Spanish club up to £82million inclusive of add-ons back in the summer of 2024 and his value has hardly plummeted over the course of the past two seasons.

Barcelona are also strongly interested and Joan Laporta, who is pushing to be re-elected as president, is using his public interest in signing Alvarez to drive his campaign to return to Camp Nou.

Incredibly, he has recently told Catalan Radio that he does not feel a transfer for the 26-year-old is one that should break the bank.

Laporta said: "Julian Alvarez is not a player who will break the bank. He's an excellent player who, they say, would fit perfectly into Barça's system, but he's not a player you have to pay a fortune for.

"First, he should demonstrate his willingness to come, which is what we want from all the players who might interest us, and it should be at a reasonable price then, it could be considered. But, given his current demands, they're out of line."