Arsenal are reportedly preparing one last effort to sign Julian Alvarez, with a report claiming that Atletico Madrid would prefer to sell the Argentine forward to a Premier League club. Barcelona have pursued Alvarez throughout the summer, but Atletico have rejected the possibility of allowing him to join the reigning La Liga champions because they are unwilling to strengthen a direct domestic rival.Arsenal’s interest in the former Manchester City striker has been widely reported, and the latest developments appear to offer the North London club renewed hope of completing a deal.
According to SPORT, Arsenal are Atletico’s “preferred destination” for Alvarez, while the Spanish club have effectively closed the door on negotiations with Barcelona. The report says that “all signs” now point toward a move to England.Arsenal are allegedly willing to include Viktor Gyokeres as part of their proposal, alongside a transfer fee of approximately €80 million. They would also offer Alvarez a gross annual salary of around €25 million, which would place him among the club’s highest-paid players. Such a contract would roughly double his current wages at the Emirates Stadium.
However, the deal would ultimately depend on whether Alvarez is prepared to return to England after previously showing little desire to do so.Gyokeres joined Arsenal from Sporting CP last summer for a reported £55 million and was expected to solve the club’s long-standing problems in front of goal. Although he scored 21 goals during his first season, he lost his starting place toward the end of the campaign, particularly in important matches, as Kai Havertz was preferred to lead the attack.Havertz has remained Mikel Arteta’s first-choice striker this season and scored in consecutive 3-0 victories over Manchester City and Coventry City in the Community Shield and the Premier League, respectively. Gyokeres was an unused substitute during Arsenal’s home match on Friday night and has reportedly been regularly making himself available to Barcelona.Nevertheless, the Swedish striker could still become part of a deal involving Atletico Madrid. The Spanish club urgently need another forward because of Alvarez’s uncertain future and the injury suffered by Alexander Sorloth.
Atletico sporting director Mateu Alemany was in London on Thursday to discuss striker options, including a potential loan move for Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson, who has fallen out of favor at Stamford Bridge.Fabrizio Romano has also reported that Arsenal held a meeting with Alemany to ask about the conditions required to sign Alvarez. Atletico’s asking price is believed to be higher than Arsenal would ideally like to pay, but including Gyokeres in the proposal could help bridge the valuation gap and make the transfer easier to negotiate. If the clubs can agree on the financial details and Alvarez is willing to return to England, Arsenal may have a realistic opportunity to complete the signing.
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