Good news for Arsenal in their chase for Julian Alvarez as Atletico Madrid make a surprising transfer move.
Arsenal’s interest in Atletico Madrid’s forward Julian Alvarez is no secret, and their chances of signing the Argentine have just gotten better.
Alvarez has been Mikel Arteta’s top target this summer. The 26-year-old is seen as a player who can really boost several parts of Arsenal’s attack. Last season, Alvarez scored 20 goals in all competitions, including one in the Champions League semi-final first leg against Arsenal. Although Atletico lost the tie 2-1 on aggregate, Alvarez made a strong impression.
The former Manchester City player has said he wants to leave Atletico’s Metropolitano Stadium and has expressed a dream to move to Barcelona. Barca made an offer worth over €100 million (£85m) for Alvarez earlier this summer, but Atletico quickly rejected it, especially after Real Madrid’s much bigger £129m bid was also turned down.
Atletico recently stated there’s a “zero per cent” chance Alvarez will move to Barcelona before the transfer deadline. Barcelona’s president, Joan Laporta, has said they still want to deal with Atletico. But Atletico’s coach Diego Simeone gave Alvarez the okay to join Arsenal, who would need to break their transfer record to sign the World Cup winner.
Reports say Atletico want around £128m for Alvarez, and many believe Arsenal are ready to pay that. The biggest challenge is that Alvarez wants to join Barcelona, not return to the Premier League.
Even though Arsenal and Atletico haven’t agreed on everything yet, Arsenal can be hopeful since Atletico are already thinking about life without Alvarez. Spanish outlet AS says Atletico might go after Roma’s striker Donyell Malen. Barcelona and Manchester City are also watching Malen closely after his strong form.
Malen joined Roma on loan from Aston Villa in January and made an instant impact by scoring 14 goals in 18 games. Roma then made his move permanent for €25m (£21.6m) in June. The 27-year-old helped Roma qualify for the Champions League and continued his great form with a hat-trick against Fiorentina in the new season.
AS reports that Roma are unsure whether to hold on to Malen or sell him after his value rose to €45m (£38m) in just eight months. Atletico see the Dutchman as a flexible forward who could be a perfect replacement for Alvarez this summer.
Malen has a contract with Roma until June 2030, and they will likely want more than his current market value if they sell.
Either way, Atletico’s interest in Malen is good news for Arsenal, who could benefit if Atletico brings in a new striker.