Acrimony, anger and animosity; the Julian Alvarez summer transfer saga in a nutshell. The boos aimed at the Atletico Madrid forward from his own supporters at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium on Sunday provided the latest twist in what has been one of the most bitter - and certainly public - storylines of the window. And with deadline day on 1 September, the Argentine World Cup winner's future remains one of the hottest topics.

In simplistic terms the dispute comes down to this; Alvarez wants to join Barcelona - but Atletico won't let him. The Madrid club's steadfast refusal to sanction the 26-year-old's dream move to the Spotify Camp Nou has led to one of the most rancorous public falling-outs in recent memory. The feud led to Atleti fans jeering their own player on his return to club action after the summer World Cup in a 2-2 home draw with Villarreal on Sunday.

Arsenal are realistic about their chances of signing Alvarez before next week's transfer deadline. Manager Mikel Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta know it is a long shot, not least because former Manchester City forward Alvarez, at least so far, has shown little indication he would be willing to join the club. His current reluctance to give the green light on a move to London isn't necessarily linked to any apprehension towards Arsenal - but rather that doing so would see him forgoing his dream of joining Barcelona.

Moving to Catalonia is what he truly wants. What's more, the Camp Nou club are absolutely willing to make that happen. But Atleti are absolutely adamant they will not sell Alvarez to Barcelona. In May, they made a series of social media posts brutally mocking the pursuit by the Spanish champions of their player to millions of followers.