Arsenal Pursues Julián Álvarez as Barcelona Tempts Forward
Arsenal have started tearing down part of their forward line. The problem is, the man they want to build it around is looking the other way.
With deals agreed to sell Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Fábio Vieira for a combined fee of more than £70m, the London club have cleared both space and budget for a marquee attacker. Julián Álvarez is at the top of that list. He is also, at this stage, out of reach.
Álvarez unmoved as Arsenal push
Álvarez returned to Atlético Madrid training on Sunday, back with the group after being left out of the squad for the win over Sevilla. His stance, though, has not shifted. The Argentina international wants Barcelona. Only Barcelona.
Mikel Arteta spoke to Álvarez last week, making the case for a return to the Premier League and a central role in a reshaped Arsenal attack. The answer was blunt: his preference is the Spanish champions.
That leaves Arsenal squeezed between two hard lines. Atlético insist they will not sell to a direct La Liga rival. Álvarez, 26, is pushing for exactly that move. The stalemate suits nobody in north London.
Barcelona circle, Atlético dig in
Barcelona have already struck one deal with Arsenal, agreeing an £8.6m fee for Jesus. The Brazilian, now into the final year of his contract and behind Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyökeres in the pecking order, had slipped from guaranteed starter to expendable asset. For Barça, he is a low-cost, low-risk addition.
They are not done in attack. After selling Ferran Torres to Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona want another forward and have not abandoned the idea of prising Álvarez from Atlético. For now, that desire collides with Atlético’s position.
Diego Simeone’s side have lined up cover. Atlético have agreed a deal with Juventus for Jonathan David on an initial loan, with an option to make the move permanent next summer. That safety net has not softened their stance on Álvarez, who only arrived from Manchester City in 2024 and remains a key part of their plans.
Arsenal, watching all of this, wait for the crack in the door that may never come.
Arsenal’s plan B – and C – takes shape
Inside the club, there is still a sliver of hope that Álvarez can be convinced to change his mind. The recruitment team, though, cannot afford to gamble the season on it. Alternative names are already in play.
Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye featured on Arsenal’s shortlist, a versatile, high-energy option who fits the club’s age and profile model. Tottenham moved faster. They are now in advanced talks over a £60m deal for the Senegal forward, another target slipping from Arsenal’s grasp.
Morgan Rogers has gone. Chelsea beat them to the former Aston Villa winger. An ambitious move for Vinícius Júnior also came to nothing, the Brazilian signing a contract extension at Real Madrid and closing that door for the foreseeable future.
Each miss raises the stakes on Álvarez. Each completed outgoing makes the need more urgent.
Wide reshuffle: Martinelli out, Tzolis in
On the flanks, the picture is just as dramatic. Arsenal have already brought in Christos Tzolis to replace Leandro Trossard on the left, a calculated bet on upside and development. Now Martinelli is heading for the exit as well.
The Brazilian is set to join Al-Hilal in a club-record sale worth £56m. He is due for a medical on Monday after being left out of the squad for the opening-weekend win over Coventry. Six goals in last season’s Champions League underlined his threat on the big stage, but a solitary Premier League strike told the story of a domestic campaign that never quite caught fire.
His fee eclipses the £40m Liverpool paid for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in 2017, underlining both the inflation of the market and Arsenal’s willingness to cash in at the peak of a player’s value. It also leaves a vacancy on the left.
Eberechi Eze can operate there, drifting in from the flank to knit play and break lines, but Arsenal did not strip out this much attacking depth simply to reshuffle from within. The expectation is for another major addition.
Vieira heads back to Hamburg
Behind the forwards, one more piece is moving out. Fábio Vieira, who spent last season on loan at Hamburg, is poised to join the German club permanently for £8.6m. It is a quiet end to a spell that never fully took off in north London, but a tidy sum that folds into Arsenal’s growing transfer pot.
So the board has sold. Arteta has called. The squad is being bent into a new shape. The money is there, the spaces are opening, and the message to potential signings is clear: you will play.
Now the question hangs over this window, and perhaps over Arsenal’s season: will Julián Álvarez walk through that door, or will they be forced to build a new attack around a different name entirely?
