Arsenal ready to sign £129m star

Having won the Premier League title, Arsenal are poised to make a big leap in the transfer market.

Manager Josh Kroenke has assured supporters that reinforcement plans are already underway, while manager Mikel Arteta has called for ambition as they aim to win back-to-back league titles and win the Champions League for the first time in their history.

To do that, there seems to be a recognition that the Gunners need to improve in the final third.

Bukayo Saka endured his most difficult senior season to date, while Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli also failed to provide much support from the wide areas. Martinelli scored once in the league, but Trossard endured a barren spell of 25 games, only scoring again a few weeks ago against West Ham.

So there is a lot of money in reserve to ditch them and sign up for upgrades. Morgan Rodgers seems to be the number one target at the moment, but it will be difficult to pry him away from Aston Villa.

Rodgers one of three big-money forwards Arsenal want to sign

Last week, Rodgers traveled to Florida with England for a pre-World Cup training camp. He then played the first 45 minutes of the Three Lions’ 1-0 win against New Zealand on Saturday.

But with the World Cup coming to an end, will his time at Aston Villa end? Manager Thomas Tuchel has already said he will not stand in the way of players negotiating their future during the tournament, which is good news for Arsenal.

Reports last week suggested that the Gunners are already in talks with the player’s camp, but it could cost between £80m and £100m if they convince Villa to sell him.

Rodgers is not the only Premier League player the club are keeping an eye on. Eli Junior Crupi is a key target to strengthen the striker position, but he will also be paid in a similar area to Villaman. Bournemouth also do not want to sell the French attacker.

If it comes with those price tags, they should do everything in their power to sign Julian Alvarez instead. Previous reports in the lead-up to the summer market indicated that Arsenal were very interested in the Argentine, but that other interested parties, PSG and Barcelona, ​​had some hurdles.

According to reports in Spain this weekend via GOAL, Alvarez’s preferred transfer destination this summer is Barça, but that could prove to be an exorbitant sum for the Catalan giants given Atletico Madrid’s hefty £129m offer.

As a result, it is noteworthy that Arsenal are currently the only club that has made a concrete bid to acquire Alvarez.

Why Alvarez is a better contract than Rodgers or Crupi

In Rodgers and Crupi, Arsenal have acquired two of the best young players in the Premier League.

Their interest is not surprising, especially given that Arteta prefers signing established players in England’s top flight. However, considering the fees mentioned, it would be a shock to sign both of them this summer.

In Rodgers, the North Londoners could potentially sign a player who can solve two problems, particularly on the left side where Rodgers can play, but also address the lack of magic in a player who has played in the number 10 position.

The England international is a former PFA Young Player of the Year and has now scored 14 goals in consecutive seasons. He’s a strong runner, has incredible skill, and looks like he’s ready for a big move now. However, it can be argued that Arsenal already have a very similar player profile to Eberechi Eze.

As they look to strengthen that left side, a more out-and-out winger may be preferred.

Crupi would also be a great acquisition. He’s one of the best young players on the planet. No teenager has scored more goals (13) in his debut season in the Premier League.

At only 19 years old, the Cherries striker has the world at his feet but is still incredibly immature and there is always the fear that someone could become a one-hit wonder.

But Alvarez is no one-hit wonder, he’s a proven talent and has it all. He can score goals, he can assist goals, and he’s been doing that at a very high level for some time now. This would be an ideal upgrade for players like Havertz and Gokeres.

It wasn’t long ago that Joe Cole described the Argentine as a “future Ballon d’Or winner”. It was during a tumultuous 2024/25 season for the 26-year-old, who scored 29 goals and provided seven assists.

It was Alvarez’s first year after leaving Manchester City for Madrid. Although he played second fiddle to Erling Haaland at the Etihad, he still found the back of the net 19 times and assisted 13 times in his penultimate campaign.

This is a special talent and a player like Crupi can play as a striker or just behind the main number nine. But Alvarez has been doing it for years.

In the future, Bournemouth’s French superstar could be recognized as an elite talent and potentially one of the best players in the game. Still, Atleti’s star player will sign a complete product. There aren’t many better center forwards in Europe right now.

Arsenal are always planning for the future, but right now it feels like they’re in winning mode. Alvarez will definitely help keep that going.