Arsenal will reportedly switch their attention to another striker if they fail to sign Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid before next week's deadline. The Gunners have been working on a deal for the Atletico forward in recent weeks, with the Spanish club placing a nine-figure price tag on him.
Alvarez deal complications
Alvarez is still keen to leave the Spanish capital, with Barcelona having been his preferred destination. Barcelona tried to sign him earlier in the window but Atletico refused to entertain their advances. It is claimed Atletico would want around £128million to sell the forward to the newly-crowned Premier League champions this summer.
Spanish outlet Sport has reported that Arsenal could try to drive down that price by offering Viktor Gyokeres as part of the switch. Gyokeres could be tabled alongside a £55m transfer fee in an attempt to land Alvarez, although it remains to be seen if Atletico would be willing to accept that proposal.
Yildiz emerges as alternative
If that deal fails, there is a chance Arsenal could pursue a move for Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz, who is being touted as a lower-cost alternative. According to The Independent, the Turkey international "remains an option" for the Gunners, but Juventus manager Luciano Spaletti was quick to play down those links over the weekend.
Quizzed on the striker's future, he said: "I experience it calmly because the player is Yildiz. From my point of view, it's simple, they can offer whatever they want, I want to be able to field Yildiz next season."
Yildiz joined Juventus in 2022 after coming through the youth ranks at Bayern Munich and remains tied down until the summer of 2030. Last season, he scored 10 league goals and provided another six assists in 36 appearances for the Italian giants.
Arsenal's summer business
Arsenal have already made a number of summer signings, with Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa their marquee additions so far. They have also welcomed Illan Meslier and Christos Tzolis in addition to signing Piero Hincapie on a permanent basis following his successful loan spell last season.
