Arsenal are on the brink of bringing success back to the Emirates over the next month, but there’s still plenty of work to be done.
The Gunners drew with Atletico Madrid in their Champions League semi-final first leg, so it will be all to play for next week on home soil, when Arsenal could earn a final spot against either Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich.
Not only that, the Premier League title race is nearing its final hurdle, with just four fixtures remaining and only three points separating Arsenal and Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta won’t even be considering his next moves in the transfer market this summer, but it hasn’t stopped the rumour mill from turning as we approach the window.
One player who has been continuously linked with a move to North London is Atletico striker Julian Alvarez, with Arsenal set to add even more depth to their attacking threat.
In his press conference (via Sky Sports News), Diego Simeone confirmed the rumours of Arsenal’s interest in his striker, while also naming their competitors in the race to land Alvarez.
Simeone revealed:
“It’s normal that an extraordinary player like Julian Alvarez is wanted by Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona.”
Sky Sports noted that Arsenal will be very active in the transfer market, with the intention of signing a forward, a midfielder and a full-back.
Alvarez is a top target, but his preferred destination is Barcelona.
The broadcaster further claimed that Atletico have no interest in selling Alvarez, but have set an asking price of £130m nonetheless.
Will Arsenal sign Julian Alvarez?
There is no doubt that Alvarez would add star quality and experience to the Arsenal forward line, but can they offer the striker his desired role?
The 26-year-old World Cup winner – once hailed as “astonishing” by Sergio Aguero – has already played in the Premier League as part of the Manchester City treble-winning squad, but living in Erling Haaland’s shadow wasn’t enough for him.
Despite being lethal across the front three, Alvarez prefers to play as a central striker and would be unlikely to accept a move where he is not the first-choice option.
Arsenal only signed Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP last summer in a £63.5m deal.
Although his output has been inconsistent at times, he has still scored 19 goals and registered two assists in all competitions so far this season.
With that being said, if Arsenal are prepared to spend £130m on Alvarez, it would be expected that he becomes the starting striker at the Emirates.
If they do make an offer and get a deal over the line, it will be interesting to see where Gyokeres’ future lies and whether he would be willing to play second fiddle.
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