Report: Arsenal Abandon Julian Alvarez Pursuit as Atletico Madrid Star Set to Stay in Spain

 

Arsenal have dropped their pursuit of Julian Alvarez, with the Atletico Madrid forward now expected to stay in Spain, Daily Mail Sport reports.

According to the report, a close to the club say the Gunners are no longer optimistic about landing the Argentine and have started looking at other targets instead. Only a sudden change of heart from Alvarez himself could revive the deal at this stage.

The update comes after Alvarez sat out three straight days of training with what was described as an illness, a spell that had briefly raised Arsenal's hopes of pulling off a move to north London.

Alvarez has made no secret of wanting out of Diego Simeone's team, and Barcelona sit at the top of his wish list. Atletico, though, have made clear they will not sell to their fierce domestic rivals under any circumstances.

Daily Mail Sport reported earlier this year that Arsenal's scouting staff had been digging into Alvarez's numbers, looking at things like his injury history, physical output and general playing data, to see if he'd suit the way Mikel Arteta wants his team to play. The verdict came back positive, with Arteta reportedly keen to bring him in.

Alvarez's frustration at Atletico spilled into public view last month when he was booed heavily by his own fans throughout the club's La Liga meeting with Villarreal. Simeone later revealed Alvarez had been told beforehand not to applaud the crowd, and he headed straight down the tunnel once the final whistle went.