Julian Alvarez's agent has described reports that the Atletico Madrid star's brothers have been house hunting in Barcelona as '1,000 per cent false'. Alvarez, 26, is a target for both Arsenal and Barcelona this summer, two years after leaving Manchester City in an £82 million deal.
Agent Shuts Down Speculation
The forward has built on an impressive first season by helping Atletico reach the semi-finals of the Champions League, where they will face Arsenal. In the previous round, Alvarez's side knocked out Barcelona, who like Mikel Arteta's Arsenal are considering refreshing their forward line in the summer transfer window. With Robert Lewandowski out of contract in June and Marcus Rashford's loan coming to an end, Alvarez is the La Liga champions' top target. It was reported this week that Alvarez had sent his two brothers to look at properties in the city, but the Argentine's agent, Fernando Hidalgo, has shut those claims down.
"1,000 per cent false," Hidalgo confirmed to Mundo Deportivo. "No one in the family has been in Barcelona. The last time was for the match against Atletico, and they returned to Madrid the next day."
Alvarez Tight-Lipped on Future
Alvarez himself has also been tight-lipped on his future. Last month, the 26-year-old responded when asked about Barcelona: "What do you want me to say? I've never said anything. These are things that get said, then they spread like wildfire on social media. You say one thing and it generates comments, but I've never said anything. Who knows, maybe yes, maybe no. I'm happy. It's a question that's going to come up everywhere, but I'm happy, I'm thinking about the day-to-day and working to give my best here."
Alvarez scored a late equaliser in last weekend's Copa del Rey final before Atletico were beaten on penalties by Real Sociedad. With the La Liga title well out of reach, the former Manchester City star and his team-mates are now solely focused on knocking Arsenal out and reaching the Champions League final. Next week's first leg in Madrid will be the first of two potential transfer auditions for Alvarez, who has yet to score a goal against Arsenal in three appearances. Earlier this season, Arteta's side thrashed Atletico 4-0.
