Arsenal begin club-to-club negotiations over £130m star signing

For Arsenal, this summer is all about strengthening their forward line. Mikel Arteta hasn’t completely ignored the attacking options at his disposal, but he’s certainly given them a lower priority.

Well, it seemed like every penny dropped in the Champions League final. It was a rare day off for the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Desiree Douye and Hviča Kvaratscheria, but the difference in quality between PSG’s attack and Arsenal’s was stark.

Arteta has realized that the difference between success and failure in matches like this are often magical moments. They need to find their own magic this summer, and plans are afoot to find just that.

A number of targets have been listed, including a man who played at a high-profile event in Budapest. bradley barcola.

Bradley Barcora, one of Arsenal’s three big-money targets

News broke on Wednesday night that Barcola is a real target for Arsenal, who are preparing to sign the French winger.

The wide player, who scored in France’s World Cup opener, is one of the world’s hottest young talents, but he is not the only attacking player attracting attention from the club.

Morgan Rodgers of England’s Aston Villa appears to be his number one target. Negotiations between the clubs have already begun and the player has expressed his desire to join the Gunners.

A cheaper alternative is Club Brugge’s Christos Tzoris, who, like Rodgers, is particularly keen to go to the Emirates Stadium this summer.

While signing a winger is a top priority, Andrea Berta and others are also mulling the idea of ​​signing a new striker. Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Crupi and Atletico Madrid’s Julián Alvarez continue to be linked.

Alvarez’s situation in the Spanish capital has become quite complicated. He wants to join Barcelona, ​​but for his services he has been offered a huge £130m by Real Madrid.

This bid was rejected and Atleti subsequently made a series of social media posts mocking the efforts of their closest rivals.

According to TEAMtalk, Arsenal could take advantage of Atleti’s reluctance to sell their rivals, with the Gunners reportedly in regular talks with the Argentine international as well as the Spanish side.

Although the Londoners have not confirmed their intention to move, they are gathering information regarding the contract and are keeping abreast of Alvarez’s situation.

What may help in the negotiations is that Berta was actually key to the original deal that Atleti struck with Manchester City to bring the forward to Spain in the first place.

Why Alvarez is a better contract than Barcola

Arsenal need to sign a winger this summer, especially a left winger. If there was one area where the team lacked true elite quality last season, it was at that position.

Leandro Trossard has had a productive start to the season, scoring eight goals and providing six assists in the first 22 games. However, 2026 was a pretty tough year. He went 25 consecutive games without scoring, until he scored the winner against West Ham.

Gabriel Martinelli was also struggling to make ends meet, scoring 11 goals in all competitions, but only one of those came in the Premier League.

So the addition of Barcola or Rodgers is important. The former is full of tricks and pace, but it’s clear why Rodgers is a prime target. Arteta really values ​​his experience in the Premier League.

That is precisely why Alvarez would also be a target, and despite having Kai Havertz and Victor Goqueres at his disposal, the former Man City man would be a better addition than Barcola.

why? Well, he already has experience of English football and has proven he can do it on these shores as well and is the absolutely perfect striker to lead the team at the Emirates.

In Gökeres and Havertz, Arteta has two polar opposites. One of them loves running the channel and the other loves running out and getting others to join. The latter reason is why the German started in the Champions League final.

Still, the big Swede finished as Arsenal’s top scorer in 2025/26 with 21 goals. However, there were still many areas that were lacking in terms of connecting plays, and his first touch wasn’t quite up to par. Gökeres ranks in the worst 10% for dribbling success rate among players in similar positions in Europe’s top five leagues.

There has always been a feeling that Arsenal need a truly elite centre-forward to progress to the next level and Alvarez will give the Gunners that. He is a world class striker.

In his first spell at Atleti in 2024-25, he scored 29 goals in all competitions. There’s a reason Argentine journalist Pablo Gonzalez praised him as a “monster.” Last season, he wasn’t as wild, but still found the back of the net 20 times.

In reality, Alvarez represents the best of both Havertz and Gokeres. Like the former, he can play short and bring other players into the game. He provided 13 assists during his final season at City.

However, like the latter, he is a great goalscorer and his movement within the area is top-notch.

Barcola ticks a lot of boxes when it comes to ultimately signing a world-class left winger, but if he can get a deal done for Alvarez it would be a breakthrough addition. At the very least, Arteta will get the elite centre-forward he so desperately needs.