Argentina forward Julian Alvarez has said he wants to leave Atletico Madrid to “fulfil his dream”, which is understood to be a move to Barcelona.
Arsenal are one of the clubs interested in the striker, but Sky Sports News understands his preference is to join Barcelona, who have been pursuing the player all summer.
Relations between the Spanish clubs do not appear to be in a good place after Atletico mocked Barcelona over their attempts to sign Alvarez last month.
Atletico do not want to sell Alvarez and have been digging their heels in over the future of their star man, but the 26-year-old made his intentions clear after Argentina’s 2-0 World Cup win over Austria on Monday.
“I spoke with people at the club, with those I had to speak with and the best thing for everyone is a transfer and I want to fulfil my dream,” Alvarez said
“It’s not the time to talk about this, but I also can’t hide it. I try to be an honest person.”
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Alvarez finished the 2025/26 season with 20 goals and nine assists from 49 games
Real Madrid said earlier this month that they had seen a £129m bid for Alvarez rejected by Atletico, but their pursuit has not continued, and questions have since been asked about the motivations behind the statement.
Atletico took the opportunity to point to Alvarez’s £431m (€500m) release clause when responding to their city rivals.
Alvarez, who is under contract until 2030 following his £81m move to Atletico from Manchester City in 2024, said his future remains undecided.
“It’s not known when it will be resolved,” he added.
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Sky Sports News has contacted Atletico Madrid for comment.