Atletico Madrid tell Arsenal exactly what’s needed to sign Julian Alvarez

Arsenal will not be willing to pay such a fee in the region of Atletico Madrid’s asking price of €150 million

Arsenal have been linked with bringing in another attacking outlet before the end of this summer’s transfer window, to strengthen an attack that is looking set to lose Gabriel Martinelli in the coming days.

Having previously been linked with another La Liga star, Real Madrid’s Vini Jr, before the Brazilian winger extended his stay with Real Madrid until 2031, Arsenal have now turned their interest to Argentine forward Julian Alvarez.

The 26-year-old has expressed his desire to move away from Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid, with the player’s main priority being to join FC Barcelona; however, it is highly unlikely the Madrid side will sell to the current LA Liga champions.

Arsenal have shown interest in Alvarez for most of the summer transfer window, but it is unclear whether the player is willing to move back to England after making the move to Spain after leaving Manchester City in August 2024.

Atletico’s asking price is too high

According to The Athletic on X, the only way Atletico Madrid will let Julian Alvarez leave this summer is if a club matches the €150 million asking price.

The view is that it is unlikely the reigning Premier League champions will put forward that amount of money for the versatile striker.

Despite Mikel Arteta and Arsenal having admired the former Premier League and World Cup winner for some time, the club is not certain how strongly the player wants to return to the Premier League after only two years away.

The Gunners were in contact with Atletico Madrid and Alvarez’s camp last week to gather a stronger understanding about the potential of the transfer and see if any movement could be made towards bringing in the very talented 26-year-old.

What does this mean for Gyokeres or Havertz?

If Arsenal followed up its pursuit with the potential signing of Julian Alvarez, it is unlikely that Viktor Gyokeres or Kai Havertz would stay and fight for a place as a third-choice striker.

Kai Havertz has been the player Mikel Arteta has relied on since the Community Shield the other week. With the German scoring in the Shield as well as the opening game of the Premier League season, continuing his scoring form since scoring in the Champions League final last season.

Viktor Gyokeres did not feature at all in the opening game against his old side, Coventry City, despite being on the bench for the game.

Read More: Arsenal receive £60m Gabriel Martinelli transfer boost

Gyokeres got off to a slow start at Arsenal last year but picked up a fine goalscoring form in the second half of the season with 14 goals since the new year. However, if Arsenal were to sign Alvarez, could the Argentine be a player who plays off the left, especially with it looking like Gabriel Martinelli could be off to Saudi Arabia, with strong interest from Al Hilal in recent days?

If Alvarez were to play off the left-hand side with Christos Tzolis rotating, it could see Mikel Arteta be willing to keep both Havertz and Gyokeres as his striker options for the forthcoming season.