Julian Alvarez of Argentina in the World Cup finals (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)
Perhaps there are some signs that Arsenal still have hopes of signing Julian Alvarez in a very ambitious transfer deal this summer.
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The latest news from Fabrizio Romano is that Barcelona, who have made Alvarez a dream target, are starting to look for a replacement up front, which could mean giving up on the Argentine international.
Romano said on his YouTube channel: “At the moment, Barcelona has started internally, and the president, the manager, the coach and the club officials have started discussing alternatives to signing Julián Álvarez. Therefore, Barcelona has started to consider alternatives.”
This follows several other reports giving hope that Arsenal are still in the race to sign Alvarez.
What is being said about Arsenal and Julian Alvarez
Ben Jacobs is reported to have said he would not rule out Arsenal just yet, while Romano himself has previously said the Gunners would be the team to watch in this story.
There is probably a more detailed explanation below. Sky Sports’ Dharmesh Sheth explains that Arsenal are waiting behind the scenes in case Barça are unable to make a deal…
Meanwhile, our understanding is that Arsenal are keen on Alvarez and could be in a good position as Atletico are not keen on selling him to their La Liga rivals.
But the challenge now is to convince the former Manchester City forward to come to the Emirates Stadium when his preference for Barcelona remains an option.
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It will be interesting to see if the situation changes and if Alvarez perhaps prompts a move away from Atlético, whether it be another Spanish club or a Premier League club.
That way, perhaps his current employer could be persuaded to accept a reasonable offer and take it as a positive that he didn’t go and strengthen one of his rivals.
Does Arsenal need Julian Alvarez?
Barcelona could certainly sign Alvarez to replace the departed Robert Lewandowski, but do Arsenal really need to spend big on a striker again this summer?
The reigning Premier League champions brought in Victor Gokeres this time last year and he helped the club win the title in his first season.
| player | game | the goal |
| julian alvarez | 49 | 20 |
| Victor Gokeres | 55 | twenty one |
As the statistics above show, Jokeles actually scored more goals than Alvarez in all competitions last season, but also played slightly more games.
However, overall, Alvarez doesn’t seem like a sufficient upgrade considering the amount he’s getting, so the AFC may be better off focusing on strengthening other areas, such as attacking midfield, to better serve Gyoqueres.
