Julian Alvarez is nearing the point of no return at Atletico Madrid, with Arsenal facing a race against time to complete a blockbuster £130million transfer. The 26-year-old Argentina striker was booed by Atletico fans last weekend after making it clear he wants to leave, with Barcelona his preferred choice.
That has caused a major row with the hierarchy behind the scenes, and there may be no way back for the wantaway forward. The next few days are crucial in resolving Alvarez's future and deciding whether Atletico stay firm or sell.
Arsenal ready to pounce if given encouragement
Arsenal are ready to pounce if they are given encouragement by Atletico or Alvarez, but the clock is ticking to get a mega deal done before the transfer window shuts next Tuesday night. The Gunners will have to bid around £130m to tempt Atletico to sell, and they will also want to know that Alvarez is fully committed, given his clear preference for Barcelona.
Arsenal are in the process of selling Gabriel Martinelli to Al Hilal for £50m, while they also want to offload Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Vieira and Reiss Nelson in the next few days. However, there is still a strong possibility they could allow all those players to leave and not bring in any new signings, as it appears to be Alvarez or bust for the Gunners.
Arteta's admiration and realistic expectations
While there is clear admiration for Alvarez and Mikel Arteta is a huge fan, Arsenal will not pay over the odds and are realistic about the chances of getting such a huge deal done in a small time frame.
Arsenal have already spent big this summer, with Bruno Guimarães, Christos Tzolis and Ezri Jones arriving at the Emirates to bolster their title-winning squad. They want to loan Ethan Nwaneri to another Premier League club if he goes out, but there is also a feeling that if they do not bring in another forward, they have enough options with the likes of Kai Havertz, Viktor Gyokeres, Bukayo Saka, Tzolis, Noni Madueke and Max Dowman.
