Arsenal handed Julian Alvarez hope as Atletico-Barcelona tensions open door before deadline

Arsenal have been given fresh encouragement that a deal for Julian Alvarez is achievable before the transfer window closes, with the Premier League champions in active negotiations over the Atletico Madrid forward.

Atletico are demanding €150m (£128.4m) for the 26-year-old Argentina international, and Arsenal are working to negotiate that figure down. The Kroenke ownership have signalled a willingness to back a major move, adopting the same approach they took during the pursuit of Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior earlier this summer.

Alvarez had long expressed a desire to remain in Spain and join Barcelona, but that path appears increasingly blocked. Atletico have been emphatic that they will not sell to their Catalan rivals under any circumstances, a stance that has forced the forward to reconsider his options. The situation was underscored at the weekend when Alvarez was loudly booed by Atletico supporters after coming on as a substitute against Villarreal.

Manager Mikel Arteta is understood to have identified a specific role for Alvarez in his system, valuing the Argentine’s technical ability and attacking mobility. Alvarez had become Arsenal’s primary target after the Vinicius pursuit stalled, with Arteta intent on adding a left-sided attacker to complete his summer business. Arsenal have also been monitoring Juventus winger Kenan Yildiz as an alternative, though Juventus head coach Luciano Spalletti has publicly insisted the club are “very calm” about the 20-year-old’s future remaining in Turin.

The structure of any Alvarez deal could involve player exchanges to ease both the fee and negotiations with Atletico. Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Martinelli have been identified as potential makeweights. Martinelli’s future at the club is already uncertain — the Brazilian was left out of Arsenal’s squad for the Coventry City fixture amid reported interest from Saudi side Al Hilal.

Arsenal’s groundwork on a potential Alvarez transfer stretches back several months, mirroring the long-running preparation that characterised their approach to Vinicius. With the window closing next week, the coming days will determine whether that work translates into a deal.