Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone has claimed that Arsenal are interested in signing forward Julian Alvarez, on the eve of their Champions League semi-final clash. The 26-year-old has netted 20 goals in 52 appearances for Atletico this season and is set to face the Gunners in the first leg at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Wednesday.
Simeone Addresses Transfer Speculation
When asked about Arsenal's potential interest in the former Manchester City striker, Simeone remarked: "I am not in Julian Alvarez's head. I just suppose it is normal. He is an extraordinary player. There is interest from Arsenal, Paris St Germain, Barcelona and other teams. But it is nothing we are concerned about."
Arsenal signed Viktor Gyokeres for £64 million last summer. Although the Swedish striker has scored 18 goals in his debut campaign, he has struggled for consistency. Gyokeres was benched for Arsenal's top-of-the-table clash with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium earlier this month, and again in their subsequent fixture at home to Newcastle United last weekend.
However, Kai Havertz picked up an injury in the first half of Arsenal's win over Newcastle and did not train at London Colney on Tuesday, which means Gyokeres is likely to start in Madrid. Eberechi Eze was also forced off against Newcastle, but in a boost for Mikel Arteta, he did join his teammates for training.
Champions League Aspirations
After eliminating Tottenham in the round of 16, Atletico beat Barcelona to secure their place in the semi-finals. However, Simeone's side have lost six of their last nine games. Like Arsenal, Atletico have never won the Champions League. Simeone added: "In terms of pressure, I don't feel the pressure and it is exciting to be as close as we are and we have never achieved it before. It is a special excitement. Leadership defines these games and we need to be ready and take the game to where we believe we can punish them. We will have a very tough game, against a fantastic rival and we are very excited about it."
Atletico captain Koke, whose contract expires at the end of the season, is set for his fourth and possibly last Champions League semi-final with the Spanish club. He said: "In the lead-up to these games, we are always excited. We feel butterflies in our stomach. It is just like a first date. Then once you start warming up it is all gone, it is just a football game, and you would be as excited as you would be for any semi-final. We expect a very strong Arsenal side and this is a Champions League semi-final and that is how we approach it."
