Julian Alvarez prepares to make Atletico Madrid return after "learning experience" over summer

Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone has revealed that Julian Alvarez will be back in the squad for Saturday's La Liga contest with Athletic Bilbao.

It has been a turbulent few weeks for Alvarez, with the Argentina international pushing to leave Atletico during the summer transfer window.

The 26-year-old had been determined to join Barcelona, while Arsenal were also linked with his services, but the transfer window closed with the forward still at Atletico.

Alvarez missed two days of training last week and was then absent against Sevilla in La Liga.

However, Simeone has confirmed that the Argentine will be back with Atletico for Saturday's league contest against Athletic at San Mames.

© Iconsport / Zuma

Alvarez to return to Atletico squad vs. Athletic

"Julian Alvarez will be in the squad tomorrow. He's training well, and we expect the best from him, just as we do from all his teammates," Simeone told reporters during Friday's press conference.

"For me, life is full of opportunities. And Julian now has an opportunity. A lot of the time, we spend our lives judging, and we need to worry about doing that less and learning more. I hope this has served as a learning experience for him.

"I hope he's happy and, as [Paulo] Futre [Atletico Madrid's director of football] told him yesterday in a lovely video... that he shows it by scoring goals."

© Imago / AgenciaLOF

Arsenal transfer news: Atletico 'willing' to sell Alvarez to Premier League champions

Atletico outright refused to do business with Barcelona over the summer, but it is understood that they would have been willing to sell to Arsenal for the right price.

Alvarez will now be with the Red and Whites until at least January, but it is a transfer saga that is likely to be reignited in 2027, with Barcelona still extremely keen on his services.

The attacker arrived at Atletico from Manchester City in the summer of 2024.

Alvarez has scored 49 goals and registered 17 assists in 107 matches for Atletico in all competitions, including 25 goals and eight assists in 67 La Liga matches for the Red and Whites.

The attacker's release clause is €500m (£432m), while he has a contract with the capital giants until the summer of 2030.