Julian Alvarez returns to Atletico Madrid training as Barcelona speculation continues

Julian Alvarez has returned to Atletico Madrid training, easing the immediate uncertainty around his availability but not ending the transfer tension surrounding his future before the market closes.

Alvarez rejoined Atletico’s group work on Sunday after missing three team sessions late last week because of what the club described as an indisposition, Reuters reported. He had trained alone at Majadahonda on Friday and was then left out of the squad for Saturday’s 3-1 win at Sevilla, a result that briefly moved the focus back to Diego Simeone’s team rather than the forward’s future.

Atletico’s public position remains that Alvarez is still part of their plans. Mateu Alemany, the club’s director of men’s professional football, said before the Sevilla match that the plan around the player was clear and that Atletico expected him to be available again quickly, with the next LaLiga fixture now the immediate sporting reference point.

That does not remove the wider issue. Barcelona’s interest in Alvarez has created one of the more sensitive domestic transfer stories of the final week of the window, particularly because Atletico have repeatedly pushed back against the idea of negotiating with the Catalan club. Atletico’s board has publicly backed the stance that there will be no talks with Barcelona, framing the matter as one of principle rather than price.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has said his club remain interested if Atletico decide to sell, but Atletico’s position makes that route effectively closed unless there is a major late change. Reuters has reported that Arsenal are viewed as the only viable alternative if a bid around €150m arrives, although that remains a possible scenario rather than an active agreement.

Alvarez’s return to training therefore changes the physical-status part of the story more than the transfer one. Atletico can now present the situation as moving back toward normality on the pitch, but the deadline pressure remains because the player’s future has become tied to club politics, supporter reaction and the possibility of a late Premier League move.

For Simeone, the priority is simpler: get Alvarez back into the team quickly enough to prevent the saga from shaping Atletico’s start to the season. Until the window closes, however, his return to training is a stabilising development rather than a definitive resolution.