Julián Álvarez knows he is going through an extremely sensitive phase at Atlético Madrid. Now the striker wants to restore his standing and engineer an exit through a new strategy.
According to Sport, Álvarez has ended his relationship with agent Fernando Hidalgo and is close to agreeing a deal with Javier Pastore to take over his representation. The aim is to open a new chapter with Atlético and secure a departure by mutual consent.
Pastore arrives to reset the relationship with Atlético's management, paving the way for an agreed exit down the line, whether next January or in July.
Álvarez had become convinced he needed to cut ties with his representation agency to give himself a chance of leaving the club.
The relationship between Hidalgo and the club's hierarchy had collapsed completely. Chief executive Miguel Ángel Gil Marín went as far as to claim the player was receiving extremely bad advice and had been deceived.
Tensions have followed Álvarez ever since he publicly announced his desire to leave, and he no longer feels psychologically ready to keep playing for the club. The international break came as a genuine breath of fresh air, a chance to change his surroundings and recover his sense of comfort away from Madrid.
From here, Julián has taken the first step Atlético asked of him. A new agent is coming in, and relations should begin to thaw after reaching the point of a total rupture.
His new representative will handle the negotiations to secure suitable departure terms, agreed by all parties and formally confirmed, to avoid a repeat of previous problems.
Speeding up the process may suit Atlético. The player's market value is dropping at a worrying rate, and nobody is talking any more about the figures north of 120 million euros that sat on the table during the summer.
Barcelona, by contrast, have made no move so far and are waiting to see how things develop. Their direct line to the player ran through Fernando Hidalgo, though talks were also held with Julián himself.
The Catalan club have been informed of the recent changes, but things have gone no further. Deco made clear the Julián file had become a thing of the past, yet ruling him out in future is far from settled, because the player is held in high regard by Hansi Flick.
Julián still prefers a future move to Barcelona. The Catalan club was and remains his first choice, and convincing all parties that selling is the best solution will be one of the tasks for his new agent.
Barcelona, though, feel no urgency and see no reason to act. Raphinha has arrived to play as an out-and-out striker, Gabriel Jesus was signed to bolster the position, and future hopes rest on Hamza Abdelkarim. All of it leaves the club comfortable in this area. Even so, nobody rules out revisiting the deal if the chance to sign Julián arises.
One club remains strongly interested: Arsenal. They would happily enter talks to complete a deal involving a player swap, with Viktor Gyökeres heading to Atlético Madrid, given he does not feature in the Gunners' long-term plans.
Sport concluded: "Álvarez has taken a decisive step, and moves are expected over the coming weeks, with the winter transfer window approaching, as the player wishes to leave Atlético."