Atletico Madrid set deadline for Alvarez to decide: stay or move to Arsenal

Situation escalates

Julian Alvarez's future at Atletico Madrid remains unclear after the Argentine forward failed to join full team training for a third consecutive day. According to Sky Sports, Atletico manager Diego Simeone confirmed Alvarez will not play in Saturday's LaLiga match against Sevilla.

Yahoo Sports adds that on Friday afternoon Alvarez did return for an individualised training session at the Majadahonda sports centre with the club's fitness coach, as confirmed by Atletico.

Deadline to decide

Per Sky Sports, Atletico have given Alvarez until Sunday to make a decision — whether to open up to a move to Arsenal or stay at the club. He has reportedly been told repeatedly, both publicly and privately, that a move to Barcelona is off the table, but he has not yet shown willingness to seriously consider a move to the Premier League champions.

Club and player's state

Atletico CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin said on Friday that Alvarez is "really struggling" and "completely confused," adding that people had misled him and left him confused, and that he is going through a very difficult situation both personally and professionally. Yahoo Sports notes that the situation has reportedly begun affecting the player's mental health, though it does not specify further sourcing for that claim.

Simeone has said he wants to welcome Alvarez back into the squad and will do everything he can to make him feel important.

Arsenal's position

According to Sky Sports, nothing has changed on Arsenal's side — the club believes a move is unlikely and will not approach for negotiations until Alvarez shows considerable interest in being part of Mikel Arteta's plans. Arteta declined to be drawn directly on Arsenal's interest, noting that transfer speculation is widespread and that he communicates directly with his players about such matters.

Sky Sports expert Tim Vickery said the decision ultimately rests with Atletico, who must choose between keeping an unhappy player or cashing in, though options are limited since moves to Barcelona or Real Madrid are ruled out. He suggested a move to Arsenal could even serve as a stepping stone to Barcelona in the future, but the final call remains Atletico's.