Atletico's Alvarez will return after 'learning experience' - Simeone

What the report says

Julian Alvarez is set to return to Atletico Madrid’s squad for Saturday’s La Liga match at Athletic Club after a failed effort to leave the club, BBC Sport reports. Manager Diego Simeone described the episode as a “learning experience” and said the striker is training well again after missing two days last week and sitting out Atletico’s league game at Sevilla.

According to the report, Alvarez had told the club he was ill when he was absent from training, but his absence followed Atletico’s decision not to sell him to Barcelona. BBC Sport says Arsenal were also interested and held direct talks with Atletico, but no move came together. Atletico repeatedly stated publicly that Alvarez would not be allowed to join Barcelona, while the club were open to selling him to Arsenal.

Simeone said Alvarez now has a new opportunity and that the team expects a strong response from him. The comments suggest Atletico want to reintegrate the Argentina forward after a tense spell around his future. Alvarez joined Atletico from Manchester City in 2024 for £81m and has scored 49 goals in 107 appearances, though he has not yet won a trophy in Madrid. The broader context is a summer transfer dispute involving major European clubs, with Atletico trying to keep one of their leading attackers.