Updated: 28 Apr 2026 14:56 BST |
4 min read
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has confirmed Arsenal’s interest in Julian Alvarez just 24 hours before the two teams meet in the Champions League semi-final.
The Gunners will play the first leg of the tie away in Madrid where they will come up against Alvarez, who has long been touted as one of Arsenal’s biggest transfer targets this summer.
Speaking before the match, Alvarez downplayed the speculation linking him with a transfer and insisted he was only focused on achieving results for Atletico.
And the forward’s comments were echoed by Simeone, who admitted that Arsenal, along with Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, were interested in Alvarez due to the player being ‘extraordinary’.
“I’m not inside Julian Alvarez’s head,” Simeone said when asked about reports linking him with Arsenal.
“I understand it’s normal that an extraordinary player like Julian Alvarez is wanted by Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona. It’s normal because he’s very good.”
Julian Alvarez: Atletico striker shuts down ‘snowball of lies’ surrounding Arsenal interest
Alvarez has been a key figure for Atletico since joining the club from Manchester City in 2024 for €75 million, with the Argentine international scoring nine times in the Champions League this season to go along with eight goals in La Liga.
Along with Arsenal, Alvarez is understood to be a top target for Barcelona, with president Joan Laporta having recently praised the 26-year-old as a ‘world class talent’ who ‘fits the DNA’ of the Catalan side.
However, Alvarez has refused to be drawn into speculation over his future and continued to shut down talks of him leaving ahead of the tie with Arsenal this week.
“I try not to give too much importance to what they say, because the truth is that every week new things come out, all kinds of new information,” Alvarez said.
“I try not to waste energy on that and to focus on what we’re doing here at Atleti. I try not to give too much importance to what’s said in the media, because it often starts becoming a snowball of lies.
“I can’t keep going out to clarify or deny everything that comes out all the time.”
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