Atletico Madrid are edging towards a painful call on Julian Alvarez. The Argentine forward's relationship with the club's supporters has spiralled into a full-blown crisis after he was jeered during the match against Villarreal, and now the Spanish side are hunting for a way to silence the noise surrounding their striker.
According to Spanish newspaper "Sport", citing "The Athletic", Atletico may be prepared to sell Alvarez for around 150 million euros, with a preference for a move to Arsenal. Tension has soured their dealings with Barcelona, and the Madrid club are refusing to entertain fresh proposals from the Catalans.
The night against Villarreal at the Metropolitano was a miserable one. Alvarez's own supporters jeered him, and one even threw a scarf at him as he left the pitch. The scene laid bare just how much tension now surrounds the Argentine striker.
Diego Simeone feels uneasy about it all. Atletico's head coach knows that keeping the player under this level of pressure will not be easy, even though he wants to coax the best version of Alvarez back out. At his ideal technical level, the forward is one of the team's most important elements.
Three consecutive away matches against Sevilla, Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad hand Atletico a chance to catch their breath. The crisis may not calm easily, though, especially with fan anger tied to the earlier row over a possible move to Barcelona.
Arsenal, then, look the most welcome destination from Atletico's point of view should the decision to sell be taken. The Spanish club see a switch to London as potentially the neatest way to end the crisis. Whether it happens hinges on how willing the English side are to part with a sum of up to 150 million euros, even with their interest in a number of strikers on the market, including Nigeria's Victor Osimhen.
Time is not on Atletico's side. Alvarez's departure would force them to move quickly for a replacement, particularly since the lack of attacking alternatives was glaring against Villarreal, with Alexander Sorloth sidelined through injury.
Over at Barcelona, the deal for Alvarez remains a distant dream. Atletico have pointed to a release clause of 500 million euros, while the Catalans previously saw a 100 million euro offer rejected, along with another of slightly higher value.
Lautaro Martinez sits as Barcelona's alternative, but signing the Argentine looks just as tricky. Inter Milan are adamant they will keep their captain, with coach Cristian Chivu and president Giuseppe Marotta both stressing how hard it would be to let him leave mid-season.
Barcelona may therefore be left waiting on a surprise solution from sporting director Deco, or leaning on the options already in their squad. Meanwhile, the uncertainty over Alvarez's future keeps growing. The player now faces three paths: staying at Atletico under the pressure, joining Arsenal in a huge deal, or waiting for a breakthrough that reopens Barcelona's door.