Julian Alvarez is becoming the headline of the transfer window with Arsenal involved but questions emerge whether the Argentine is the right choice
12:00, 23 Jun 2026
Julian Alvarez of Atletico Madrid looks like becoming the saga of the summer
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Julian Alvarez of Atletico Madrid looks like becoming the saga of the summer(Image: Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Anyone else want the Premier League to start and the transfer window to close yet? No, just me…
Silly season is truly here, and Arsenal are at the forefront of the noise with plenty of names, positions, bids, clubs and rumours all merging into the typical summer soup of chaos that is the market.
The numbers are getting out of hand, and when you see the likes of Atletico Madrid demanding €500million (£431.5million) for a player and Real Madrid having a €150million (£129.4million) bid rejected for someone who scored eight league goals in La Liga last season, the world has gone mad.
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Julian Alvarez is the player in question and looks to be the main protagonist of the summer’s transfer storyline. Arsenal’s interest in the player is well-documented, and while they have held a keenness for the player, the Argentine’s desire to join Barcelona, considered his dream, and the mooted price tags make the Gunners’ priorities rather fluid.
A centre-forward is certainly not at the top of the list with desires to upgrade the left-hand side in particular. Work is already underway with Morgan Rogers and Christos Tzolis, the main contenders, to both potentially arrive this summer, but for the former, a massive transfer fee will be required.
Gabriel Jesus is expected to be sold, and the club want to earn a respectable fee for the Brazilian. Further forward exits in the form of Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard also have plenty of potential to happen.
For me, when you look at Eli Junior Kroupi, a move for the young Frenchman just makes a lot more sense. Six-plus years Alvarez’s junior, five more league goals last season with around 200 fewer minutes played in a division considered more challenging and for a side far less dominant in its respective league.
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Bournemouth, football.london understand, do not want to sell, and to part company would have to be offered a very big fee, but that could yet still be less than Alvarez from how the deal is being discussed. He’s more versatile too, and Arsenal could happily keep Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz and have plenty of use for Kroupi as a striker, second striker or wide option.
He still has some rough edges, and I’d like to see more creativity from him, but at 20 years old, just one season in the Premier League, what we have seen has been excellent. For me, it’s an easy choice.