Andrea Berta helped sign the player at Atletico Madrid.placeholder image
Andrea Berta helped sign the player at Atletico Madrid. | Getty Images
Chelsea are perhaps not as clear frontrunners to complete a deal for the Atletico Madrid man as first thought on Tuesday.
Arsenal and Chelsea saw their chance to complete any last minute business in the January transfer window disappear over a week ago when the market closed but that has not shut down the rumour mill as the season continues.
Tuesday proved to be a busy day regarding the future of former Premier League striker, who has been linked with a move to the top flight. That is Julian Alvarez, the former Manchester City man said to be a target for both the Blues and the Gunners in the summer.
Chelsea and Arsenal made significant investments in strikers last summer with Joao Pedro and Liam Delap arriving at Stamford Bridge for a combined £90 million. Meanwhile, the Gunners splurged £55 million on Viktor Gyokeres.
Chelsea ‘advancing’ in Julian Alvarez negotiations
However, there is always space for improvement, and the versatile Alvarez could be a tempting addition. The 26-year-old has scored 40 goals and registered 13 assists at Atletico since signing in 2024.
Early on Tuesday, LondonWorld carried reports from ESPN Argentina which claimed that Chelsea were ‘advancing’ in negotiations to sign the player at the end of the season and that the Blues were ahead of Arsenal in the transfer race.
The striker cost Atletico a lofty £84 million two years ago but is said to be wanting a change already. It was Arsenal sporting chief Andrea Berta who signed the player for the La Liga giants in 2024 and that could play into the Gunners’ favour.
Arsenal also firmly in transfer race as Blues dealt blow
Despite claims that Chelsea had emerged as frontrunners, TEAMtalk reported just hours later that Arsenal are also ‘holding talks’ with Alvarez via his representatives. It’s added that Berta is ‘ready to move quickly’ to beat the Blues with the player’s preferred move to Barcelona believed to be off the cards.
Atletico Madrid boss Simeone hit back at claims over an upcoming Alvarez move. He said recently when quizzed on the exit links: “Seriously? Are you seriously asking me that? The truth is that Julian Alvarez speaks for himself, because of the name he has, the authority he carries, and the career he’s built, right?"
Meanwhile, Alvarez’s agent, Fernando Hidalgo, has said: “Any club interested in Julian should contact Atletico Madrid’s management, as the player is under contract and committed to the club. It’s not true, I haven’t met with Deco or anyone from Barcelona during the current period.”
Reporter Pete O’Rourke has recently shared this update regarding Alvarez, as per Football Insider: “Alvarez is a top player, he’s proven that. He was South American Footballer of the Year and is Premier League proven after winning the title a couple of times with Man City.
“It’d be a huge deal for Atletico to even consider selling him as well, you’re probably looking around £80million plus for someone like him. He’s under contract until 2030, and there’s been talk that Atletico would look to try and tie him down to a new deal. If there’s any indication that Alvarez would consider a move away from Atletico, you’ll have all the biggest and best clubs in Europe ready to try and sign the Argentine.”
In other news, Arsenal told to pay up to £100m for target with Man United and Man City 'monitoring' situation.
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