Julian Alvarez has stopped turning up.
Not for goals, not for trophies – for training.
Since being told behind closed doors that Atletico Madrid will not sell him to Barcelona, the Argentina striker has missed two straight sessions, officially citing illness, while the tension around his future thickens by the hour.
Barca dream blocked, Arsenal door opened
Sources have told BBC Sport that Atletico informed Alvarez and his camp earlier this week that they will not even sit at the table with Barcelona. No negotiations. No compromise. No way.
The message has been hammered home in public as well as in private.
Within 24 hours, Atletico issued two separate statements making it crystal clear: Alvarez will not be granted his wish to join Barca in the coming days.
On Wednesday, they fired the first shot, responding to comments from Barcelona president Joan Laporta, who insisted the Catalan club still wanted to sign the forward. Atletico’s reply was blunt: “There is 0% chance of selling him to Barca.”
On Thursday, the board backed that stance to the hilt, declaring: “The members of Atletico de Madrid’s board of directors have unanimously expressed their absolute support for the club's decision to not negotiate the transfer of Julian Alvarez to FC Barcelona.”
The door to Camp Nou has been slammed shut.
Another one, though, has been left temptingly ajar.
Atletico are prepared to sell – but only to Arsenal. Direct talks have already taken place with the Premier League champions over what would rank as one of the headline transfers of the summer window.
Arsenal ready, price set, player hesitant
Atleti director Mateu Alemany was in London last week. There, he met Arsenal officials and made the club’s position clear: Alvarez will cost 150m euros (£128m). That is the fee they want. That is the fee they believe the player commands.
Arsenal, for their part, are keen. Mikel Arteta is described as desperate to bring Alvarez in this month, seeing him as a major piece in a squad aiming to stay at the summit of English football.
Yet there is a problem that money alone cannot solve.
Alvarez’s heart, at least so far, is set on Barcelona.
His firm desire to join the Catalan side has stalled Arsenal’s push. The Gunners might have a willing seller, a defined price and a clear need, but they do not yet have the most important element: the player’s full approval.
Even so, the conversations between Atletico and Arsenal have been described as positive. The framework is there. The outlines of a club-to-club agreement are understood. The hard work on that front is largely done.
Now it comes down to Alvarez.
A decision that will shape the summer
If the 26-year-old gives Arsenal the green light in the coming days, the expectation is that a deal would accelerate quickly. The clubs are aligned enough for the move to gather pace as soon as he shifts his stance.
For the moment, though, the situation remains taut.
Atletico have drawn a firm red line over Barcelona. Arsenal are waiting with a proposal and a pathway. Alvarez is absent from training, officially unwell, while his future hangs in the balance.
One club will not sell to where he wants to go.
Another is ready to buy, but only if he truly wants them.
Somewhere between Madrid, London and Barcelona, Julian Alvarez is going to have to decide which dream he is prepared to give up.
