Arsenal Pursues Julián Álvarez Amid Barcelona Interest
Arsenal’s summer rebuild is accelerating, but the striker they truly want is slipping away.
Mikel Arteta has sanctioned the break‑up of his Brazilian-led attack, agreeing to sell Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Fábio Vieira in deals worth more than £70m, to clear space and cash for a marquee forward. The name at the top of that list is Julián Álvarez. The problem? His heart is set elsewhere.
Arsenal chase Álvarez as Barcelona circle
Álvarez returned to Atlético Madrid training on Sunday, back in the fold after being left out of the squad for the win over Sevilla. Atlético insist they will not sell to Barcelona, their direct La Liga rivals, yet that is the only destination the Argentina international is pushing for.
Arteta has already made his pitch. The Arsenal manager is understood to have spoken directly to Álvarez last week, trying to tempt the former Manchester City forward back to the Premier League as the focal point of a reshaped front line. The response was blunt: Álvarez wants Barcelona, and only Barcelona.
Barcelona have already taken one piece from Arsenal’s attacking puzzle. They have agreed an £8.6m deal for Jesus, who has entered the final year of his contract and fallen behind Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyökeres in the pecking order. It is a modest fee for a player of his pedigree, but a clear sign of Arsenal’s willingness to move on and refresh.
For Barcelona, Jesus is not the end of the story. After selling Ferran Torres to Paris Saint‑Germain, they still want another attacker and are not believed to have abandoned the Álvarez pursuit, even in the face of Atlético’s stance. The tug-of-war is clear: one club refusing to sell, one club refusing to give up, and a player who has nailed his colours firmly to the Camp Nou mast.
Atlético hold firm as Arsenal scan alternatives
Atlético, for their part, are trying to close off the escape routes. They have agreed a deal with Juventus for Jonathan David on an initial loan with an option to buy next summer, a move that could easily have been read as preparation for Álvarez’s departure. Yet the message from Madrid is the opposite. They are understood to be determined to keep the 26‑year‑old, who only arrived from Manchester City in 2024.
Arsenal still hope that stance, and Álvarez’s resolve, might soften as the window ticks down. But they cannot afford to wait forever. Several other attacking options are being monitored as the club works through a shortlist that has already started to shrink.
Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye was one of the forwards under consideration, a versatile attacker with the work rate and technical profile Arteta admires. Tottenham have moved faster, though, and are in advanced talks over a £60m deal for the Senegal international, edging Arsenal towards another near-miss.
They have already watched Morgan Rogers choose Chelsea and seen an ambitious move for Vinícius Júnior fall away, the Brazilian instead signing a contract extension at Real Madrid. Each failed chase adds urgency to the Álvarez question. How long can Arsenal keep their strategy pinned to a player whose gaze is fixed on Catalonia?
Martinelli exit opens a new hole on the left
While the centre-forward situation dominates the headlines, the left flank is being quietly torn up and rewritten. Arsenal have brought in Christos Tzolis as a replacement for Leandro Trossard, but Martinelli’s expected departure to Al‑Hilal will leave another vacancy out wide.
The Brazilian is set to leave for a club‑record £56m, a fee that eclipses the £40m Liverpool paid for Alex Oxlade‑Chamberlain in 2017. Martinelli, who struck six times in the Champions League last season but only once in the Premier League, was left out of the squad for the opening‑weekend win over Coventry and is due to undergo his medical on Monday.
His exit changes the balance of Arteta’s attack. Eberechi Eze can operate on the left, and his versatility offers one internal solution, but Arsenal are losing a player who once symbolised the energy and chaos of the manager’s early rebuild. Now they are banking on a different kind of evolution.
Vieira set for permanent move
On the fringes, another piece is moving out. Fábio Vieira, who spent last season on loan at Hamburg, is poised to join the German club permanently in an £8.6m deal. It is a quiet end to a spell that never quite ignited in north London, yet it adds to the growing pot of funds and frees another squad slot.
Arsenal have committed to a bold reset in attack, cashing in on familiar faces to fund a new frontline. The strategy is clear. The execution now hinges on whether they can bend Álvarez’s will away from Barcelona, or whether this summer’s grand plan will need a late, dramatic rewrite.
