MIKEL ARTETA COULD BLOCK JULIAN ALVAREZ TO ARSENAL TRANSFER AS GUNNERS EYE £130M SWOOP

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.

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

ARSENAL LEAVES 11 PLAYERS AT HOME FOR LIVERPOOL MATCH ON US TOUR AMID TRANSFERS

Arsenal have announced a 26-man squad for their pre-season tour of the United States with 11 players not making the trip.

Mikel Arteta's side will be without several key players who are likely to feature in his starting XI for the Premier League season due to their involvement in Euro 2024 and the Copa America. As such, the Gunners will be without a group of players while Stateside.

Declan Rice, Aaron Ramsdale, Bukayo Saka, David Raya and William Saliba will not travel after featuring at the Euros. The north London outfit still have friendlies against Bayer Leverkusen and Lyon scheduled between their return from the USA and the start of the Premier League season.

From July 25, Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz will link up with the squad. They will arrive in the States after Arsenal's match against Bournemouth but before games against Manchester United and Liverpool.

Kieran Tierney, who injured his hamstring representing Scotland at the Euros, and Takehiro Tomiyasu, who has a knee injury, will not make the trip. Both will receive treatment in London from the club's medical staff at Sobha Realty Training Centre.

New signing Tommy Setford is included in the travelling party as Arteta takes a squad of mixed experience. Martin Odegaard, Ben White and Jurrien Timber have travelled, while Leandro Trossard, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jukub Kiwior are also with the team following their involvement at the Euros.

Emile Smith Rowe is also part of the travelling squad, despite transfer interest from Fulham and Crystal Palace. However, Charlie Patino didn't make the cut.

The midfielder is set to leave this summer after a loan spell at Swansea City last year. The 20 year old featured in an Arsenal XI victory over Leyton Orient on Saturday, with the team predominantly heading to the US including Gabriel Jesus.

Goalkeepers: Karl Hein, Tommy Setford, Lucas Nygaard, Alexei Rojas.

Defenders: Ben White, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jurrien Timber, Josh Nichols, Jakub Kiwior, Ayden Heaven, Omar Rekik. 

Midfielders: Thomas Partey, Jorginho, Michal Rosiak, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Martin Odegaard, Emile Smith Rowe, Fabio Vieira, Ethan Nwaneri, SalahEddine Oulad M'Hand, Jimi Gower.

Forwards: Leandro Trossard, Reiss Nelson, Charles Sagoe Jr, Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah.

Liverpool.com says: Like Liverpool, Arsenal will be missing a host of first-team players for the tour of the States. The two line-ups that face off in Philadelphia will be a long way off the teams that take to the field for the start of the Premier League campaign. It will still be a good watch for our fans in the States though.

ARSENAL KICK OFF PRESEASON EARLY AS MIKEL ARTETA TAKES SIX GUNNERS IN MARBELLA FITNESS CAMP

Arsenal FC via Getty Images

 Half a dozen Arsenal players have begun their pre-season with manager Mikel Arteta three weeks early in an early bid to boost their title challenge.

Ben White, Eddie Nketiah, Jurrien Timber, Reiss Nelson, Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira joined up with Arteta in Marbella on Monday to work on their fitness and form. Captain Martin Odegaard is due to join the group in the coming days as the squad look to jumpstart preparations for a season where they will be bidding to go one step up the Premier League table.

For Timber and Vieira the mini camp will offer a chance to build fitness after an injury-plagued 2023-24 season, particularly for the former, who suffered a major knee injury on his Premier League debut in August. Timber's versatility in defense was missed by Arteta last season and the Dutch international will be out to carve out a role for himself in the Arsenal XI. The left back berth that was something of a problem for the Gunners last season is there to be claimed in the weeks ahead even as sporting director Edu, who will also fly out to Marbella for the camp, scours the transfer market.

Meanwhile the Hale End triumvirate of Nelson, Smith Rowe and Nketiah have begun their preparations for 2024-25 at a time when their futures are in doubt. All three have been linked with moves away from the club in recent weeks.

Most Premier League clubs are due to reconvene in mid-July, squads trickling back together in a summer of Euros and Copa America football. The Gunners play Manchester United in Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium on July 28 before meeting Liverpool in Philadelphia three days later. Subsequently they will play Bayer Leverkusen and Lyon on home soil.

CBS Sports understands that Smith Rowe travelled out a week before the rest of the squad to get a head start on his fitness work. The 23-year-old struggled to break into Arteta's first team last season, appearing in just 19 games across all competitions. Nelson, meanwhile, favors a move away from the club, according to CBS Sports sources. Crystal Palace, West Ham and Brighton are long term admirers.

- James Benge

ARSENAL SUFFER DOUBLE BLOW WITH SAKA INJURED IN LOSS TO LENS

Reuters

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said he is worried about Bukayo Saka's availability for Sunday's league game against Manchester City after the forward went off injured in the first half of their 2-1 Champions League defeat by RC Lens.

Saka was replaced by Fabio Vieira in the 34th minute of Tuesday's game and Arteta said the muscular issue was "big enough not to allow him to continue to play the game and that's obviously a worry for us".