Julián Álvarez misses Atlético training due to illness

An "illness" was enough to set off alarm bells again at Atlético Madrid. Julián Álvarez was unable to train with the rest of the squad this Wednesday at the Majadahonda Sports Center, the club confirmed, and his absence comes right as the team was starting to prepare for Saturday's match against league leaders Sevilla at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán stadium.

The Argentine forward had a rough night, which kept him out of the morning session. It doesn't appear to be anything serious, and all signs point to him being available for the Matchday 3 fixture in LaLiga. In fact, Álvarez had only just returned to competition this past Sunday, coming on in the 66th minute in the draw against Villarreal, his first official match with Atlético after playing for the Argentina national team in the World Cup 2026 qualifiers.

That return, however, was anything but calm. The Metropolitano crowd greeted him with whistles and criticism, the logical response after the player himself admitted this summer that he wanted to wear Barcelona's jersey, something that now appears to be off the table. The Catalan club had put an offer of 100 million euros on the table, payable in six installments starting in early June, but Atlético flatly rejected it and pointed to the forward's release clause, set at 500 million euros.

With the transfer window closing in a week, Julián Álvarez's name keeps coming up. ESPN reported that Arsenal's interest has been reignited in the last few hours. Even so, Atlético has repeated the same message all summer long: the forward from Calchín, Córdoba, remains under contract until June 30, 2030, and is not for sale.

Other doubts for the Sánchez Pizjuán

Álvarez's illness isn't the only concern for Diego Simeone heading into the weekend. Alexander Sorloth, who has missed the first two LaLiga matches with a muscle injury, continues his recovery apart from the group and is a serious doubt to travel to Sevilla, with just three days to go before the match.

Wednesday's session did include Obed Vargas, Carlos Martín, Thomas Lemar and José María Giménez, four names strongly rumored to leave the club before the transfer window closes at midnight next Tuesday. The Madrid club therefore has several fronts open at once: getting its injured players back up to speed, the uncertain future of its top scorer, and a transfer window that could still bring last minute moves.