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| Julian Alvarez continues to be linked with a blockbuster move to Arsenal (Image: Getty Images) |
Arsenal are reportedly willing to spend £130million on the signing of Julian Alvarez, but Mikel Arteta will insist on guarantees that he is genuinely keen on joining the Gunners. The forward is desperate to leave Atletico Madrid ahead of next week's deadline, having initially been eager to join Barcelona before their efforts were firmly rebuffed. It has left Alvarez in a sticky spot, with Atletico fans turning on him during their draw with Villarreal over the weekend.
Arsenal are reportedly willing to spend £130million on the signing of Julian Alvarez, but Mikel Arteta will insist on guarantees that he is genuinely keen on joining the Gunners. The forward is desperate to leave Atletico Madrid ahead of next week's deadline, having initially been eager to join Barcelona before their efforts were firmly rebuffed. It has left Alvarez in a sticky spot, with Atletico fans turning on him during their draw with Villarreal over the weekend.
The move would also require the Gunners to balance their finances, with Gabriel Martinelli edging towards a £50m move to Saudi club Al-Hilal.
That would represent a club-record sale for the newly-crowned Premier League champions.
Arsenal are also looking to offload Fabio Vieira with Hamburg driving to complete a deal, while Napoli have shown interest in Gabriel Jesus but the primary obstacle has been the forward's salary.
Jesus has also wished to remain in England but recognises his opportunities at Arsenal will be restricted.
It remains to be seen if Arsenal would even consider a swap deal for Alvarez that would see Viktor Gyokeres move the other way.
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| Mikel Arteta wants assurances that Alvarez is genuinely keen on the move (Image: Getty) |
Reports in Spain have suggested that the Gunners could table a £55m bid with Gyokeres thrown in as a makeweight to drive down Atletico's asking price.
Meanwhile, the prospect of signing Juventus star Kenan Yildiz appears increasingly unlikely given the winger requires knee surgery.
The Gunners have already splashed out considerably this window on Christos Tzolis, Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa, meaning it is entirely plausible they could refrain from further activity even if Martinelli leaves.
Eberechi Eze remains an option to cover the left flank and Arsenal may choose to bide their time, but if the opportunity to land Alvarez arises and the player proves willing to make the switch, the north Londoners are thought to be receptive.
- John Cross and Archie Griggs
