Arsenal makes one final trade offer to sign Julian Alvarez
Arsenal are making one last effort to sign Julian Alvarez, as a report says Atletico Madrid prefers to sell him to a Premier League club. Barcelona has tried to sign Alvarez all summer, but Atletico didn’t want to strengthen a direct rival in La Liga.
Arsenal’s interest in Alvarez, who used to play for Manchester City, is well known. The latest news gives hope that a deal might happen. According to SPORT, Arsenal is Atletico’s “preferred destination” for Alvarez, and they have closed the door on Barcelona—with all signs pointing to England.
It’s said Arsenal is ready to include Viktor Gyokeres in the deal, plus offer €80 million. They would also pay Alvarez around €25 million gross per year, making him one of their top earners. This would double his current wages at the Emirates. The deal depends on whether Alvarez is willing to come back to England, since he earlier didn’t plan to.
Gyokeres joined Arsenal just last summer from Sporting CP for £55 million and was expected to fix their striker problems. He scored 21 goals in his first season but ended up on the bench later, as Kai Havertz took the lead in big games. This season, Havertz has been Mikel Arteta’s first choice, scoring in back-to-back 3-0 wins over Manchester City and Coventry in the Community Shield and Premier League.
Gyokeres was an unused substitute at the Emirates on Friday and is said to have regularly offered himself to Barcelona. But he might still go to Atletico, who need a new striker because of Alvarez’s situation and Alexander Sorloth’s injury.
Atletico’s sporting director, Mateu Alemany, has been in London to talk about a striker, including a possible loan for Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, who isn’t playing much. Fabrizio Romano reported that Arsenal met Alemany to ask about the terms to sign Alvarez. Atletico’s price for Alvarez seems too high for Arsenal, but adding Gyokeres might make the deal easier.
On Friday, Atletico CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin said they want to keep Alvarez but also commented, “We must understand that Julian has not had the best advisors around him regarding his professional career in recent months.” Alvarez’s agent, Fernando Hidalgo, replied on Instagram with a quote: “Never ask a liar why he lied. To explain it. He’d have to lie again.”