Julian Alvarez to Arsenal transfer twist as Atletico Madrid make £30m announcement

Arsenal have been linked with a summer move for Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez, who is reportedly unhappy with life in the Spanish capital

Arsenal could have a pathway to signing Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez following news that the La Liga outfit are poised to bring in Ademola Lookman. Reports from last summer suggested that a potential move for former Manchester City star Alvarez was on the table.

The Gunners have reportedly been monitoring the 26-year-old in recent weeks and are weighing up a potential swoop at the end of the campaign. Some reports have even suggested that Mikel Arteta's side might put forward Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus as part of an exchange deal for Alvarez.

While that appears an improbable scenario at present, there does appear to be genuine interest from the North London club. Any potential transfer for the Argentinian won't materialise until the summer and is expected to be far from straightforward, with Atletico determined to retain him.

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However, Arsenal may have received a boost after Atletico confirmed Lookman - a former Gunners target - is set to join them in a £30m switch from Atalanta. Tottenham had also been tracking the forward but have been pipped to his signature.

The Nigerian international operates primarily as a second striker but is capable of leading the line, meaning he could provide Atletico with a ready-made replacement for the departure-linked star Alvarez. Atletico Madrid also have Alexander Sorloth in their squad, with the Norwegian having netted the same number of La Liga goals (7) as Alvarez this campaign.

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Whilst securing a deal for Alvarez presents significant challenges, the presence of Lookman and Sorloth will undoubtedly offer Atletico some reassurance should negotiations become necessary for the former Manchester City star.

According to ESPN, the Spanish club would reportedly require a fee exceeding £86million to even entertain the possibility of a sale. Additional hope emerged last week when Gary Lineker revealed on the Rest is Football podcast that the Argentine was unsettled in Madrid.

He said: "I saw they were linked with Julian Alvarez, who I know is not entirely happy with life at Atletico.. Now that is the sort of player you know can handle the big occasion – he's a World Cup winner for crying out loud.

"Someone like that at Arsenal would be game over. But they do need one or two of these current forwards to start scoring on a reasonably regular basis."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has previously indicated the club are willing to address their injury concerns by pursuing new signings in January. Nevertheless, minimal activity has occurred thus far, and any significant transactions before Monday's 7pm cut-off appear improbable at this stage.

Speaking last month, the Spaniard said: "The window is there and I mean we're Arsenal and we have to be looking at it; 'Okay, what do we need'? And we have to be actively looking and then, whether we can do it or not... that's a different story.

"But our job is to always be very prepared because something can happen, so hopefully it'll be very positive.

"When you look across the other clubs, they have 24 or 25 squad players. Although we have had more injuries than expected, some of them not avoidable.

"We want to be better and we know how important the part of having the right availability with players is going to be this season."

That said, Sky Germany sent shockwaves through the footballing world on Monday morning by claiming the Gunners were 'pushing' hard to land Newcastle star Sandro Tonali. However, Newcastle have swiftly dismissed any notion of a deal being struck for Tonali.

Regarding Arsenal's summer transfer strategy, Andrea Berta is believed to be scouting young defenders alongside Alvarez, with Real Madrid's Victor Valdepenas emerging as a name heavily linked with a potential move.

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