Not for saleAtletico Madrid have dealt a heavy blow to Europe’s giants. Argentina’s Julian Alvarez is not for sale in January, and the Spanish club have made that loud and clear.According to TEAMtalk, the Rojiblancos’ hierarchy have told Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and even the player himself that he will not leave this season. Months of pursuit and speculation are over.A summer of pursuit ends in disappointmentArsenal spent most of the summer watching Alvarez’s situation at the Wanda Metropolitano. Uncertainty hung over the Atletico Madrid star’s future, and he was pushing hard to get out.His preferred destination was never in doubt. Alvarez wanted Barcelona, but Atletico held firm and flatly refused to sell him to their direct Catalan rivals.Where Barcelona drew a hard no, Arsenal found a surprising opening. Secret talks took place in London with sporting director Andrea Berta, as the Gunners explored a route to bring the World Cup winner back to England.Constant contact followed with the player’s agents. Arsenal knew Barcelona remained Alvarez’s first choice, and though a move to north London sat on the table, the striker never forced the issue over the summer.Arsenal stayed close to his circle even after the window shut, hoping he would warm to the idea by January. It seemed to be working. Alvarez grew more open to leaving elsewhere, a boost for Mikel Arteta’s side that pushed them to the front of the queue.What about Gyokeres and Kvaratskhelia?The decision lands as a major setback for Arsenal. They must now find another way to strengthen their attack, and while their admiration for Alvarez remains, any move waits until the summer.That has knock-on effects for Viktor Gyokeres too. Any exit for him now looks like a summer question rather than a January one.Paris Saint-Germain, long-time admirers of the Argentine, have had to accept the same reality. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s season-ending injury changes nothing: sources inside the club confirm Luis Enrique has no desire to sign a player simply as a temporary fix for the Georgian. Kvara’s absence or not, the Parisian stance stays the same.
