Arsenal have reportedly received a boost in their pursuit of Juventus winger Kenan Yildiz, with Bayern Munich reportedly unwilling to compete for his signature. Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has praised Julian Alvarez's recent behaviour after the striker was linked with a move away.
Bayern Munich rule themselves out of Yildiz race
The Gunners are long-term admirers of the 21-year-old Turkey international and enquired about him in the summer, but were told by Juventus that their star winger was not for sale. Along with Arsenal, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich were also said to be interested in the €150million (£127m) player.
German publication BILD reports that Bayern, where Yildiz began his career, will not compete for his signature if other clubs come in with huge offers. The Bundesliga giants are unwilling to show that they made a costly mistake in initially letting him go, according to the same report.
Arsenal, meanwhile, are said to be able to meet Juve's asking price, putting them in the driving seat. The Gunners kept their powder dry in the summer after seeing both of their big-money pursuits of Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez fall short.
Simeone praises Alvarez's application
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has praised Alvarez's recent behaviour. The Argentine striker was denied his dream move from Atletico to Barcelona by the club in the summer.
That was despite the 26-year-old repeatedly voicing his desire to leave, which resulted in him being booed by his own fans at the start of this season. He even missed several training sessions in the final week of the transfer window in an effort to force through a move to Catalonia.
Arsenal pursued a deal for Alvarez but, despite Atletico being willing to listen to offers for their dissatisfied star, he was unwilling to join the north Londoners. He has since been reintegrated back into Simeone's squad and played the entire second half of Saturday's win over Alaves.
Simeone was impressed by the striker's application and effort, despite recent rumours that he had made a U-turn on his initial decision to snub Arsenal. The manager said: "I thought Julian [Alvarez] looked good today. He came on with enthusiasm, eager to do well and help the team. He finished the match well."
Ahead of the game, Simeone had said: "I see him in good shape, enthusiastic, and he has the desire to give everything he has, as he always does. When he is in good shape, he gives us a different dimension in attack."
