Arsenal's pursuit of Vinicius Junior has not stopped them from working on another major transfer, with Julian Alvarez still on the club's radar.
The Gunners have long been linked with the Atletico Madrid forward, and reports suggest they were willing to offer Viktor Gyokeres in a player-plus-cash arrangement. Atletico have been reluctant to sell their star, while Alvarez is said to be particularly keen on a move to Barcelona.
Potential double deal from Madrid
A remarkable summer window that would see both Vinicius and Alvarez arrive from the Spanish capital appears to be on the cards. Securing either player would be a significant statement from Arsenal as they prepare to defend their Premier League title.
According to The Independent, Arsenal continue to pursue a deal for Alvarez. Reports also suggest the club are confident about their chances of securing Vinicius. Meanwhile, a separate transfer to bring Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle is drawing closer, with his future potentially settled within the coming week.
Arteta sets out his demands
The arrival of Vinicius, Alvarez and Guimaraes would give Mikel Arteta significantly more depth at the Emirates. He could field a front three of Vinicius, Alvarez and Bukayo Saka, with the likes of Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and new signing Christos Tzolis available for rotation.
Arteta recently made clear that he needs to strengthen his squad with elite players to continue challenging across four competitions. He said: "From ownership to the board, the sporting director and myself, we know that we want to take this club to a different level. That is going to require a better squad, better individual. We have identified where we have opportunities to grow and to improve and to evolve our game and what is going to be needed to achieve that. Hopefully, very soon, we can start to put things in a very concrete way."
The Arsenal boss added: "This has to be the start and this has to be the standard. Excellence has to be our standard and this has to drive to attack the future."
