Arsenal have the chance of securing elite striker Julian Alvarez this summer, but in order to do so, they’ll have to part with Viktor Gyokeres and up to £51.7million – though club legend Thierry Henry has explained why they should avoid such a scenario.
The Gunners have some enormous players on their agenda this summer. Sandro Tonali, Morgan Rogers and Alvarez are three big names currently being spoken about, and each would cost north of £90million.
It’s Alvarez they seem most enamoured by, and though Atletico Madrid seem to be adamant about not losing him, at least not to Barcelona, Arsenal could have a route.
Spanish outlet Cope reports the avenue Atleti are currently exploring is a swap deal with the Gunners. The deal would involve Alvarez and Gyokeres changing places, with Arsenal also parting with between €40-60million.
Indeed, Atleti are said to want a ‘pure and simple centre-forward’ and the Swede is therefore a good fit.
Whether Arsenal will want to part with the Swede, who scored 21 times in 55 appearances across his debut season in north London, remains to be seen.
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Henry wants Gyokeres AND Alvarez at Arsenal
Gunners legend Henry doesn’t feel letting Gyokeres go would be right at all, though, instead believing he and Alvarez would be perfect in the same attack, if there’s a way to do it.
“If you ask me whether Arsenal should swap Viktor Gyokeres for Julian Alvarez, I understand why people are talking about it. Alvarez is one of the most complete forwards in world football today.
“He can press, create, score, play between the lines and make everyone around him better. I’ve said before that I really like his game because he can do almost everything a modern number nine is asked to do.
“But football isn’t played on paper. Gyokeres gives Arsenal something different – power, presence, aggression and goals. He’s the type of striker defenders hate facing. If you’re talking about a straight swap, I’d be very careful because you’re not just exchanging players, you’re changing the identity of your attack.
“Now, if Arsenal somehow ended up with Alvarez, every fan would be excited because he’s a world-class talent. But my question would be: why give away a striker who has already proven he can lead the line for you? Great teams don’t always replace quality with quality; sometimes they add quality to quality.
“For me, the dream scenario would be finding a way to have players of that level in the same squad. That’s how title-winning teams become dynasty teams. If I were Arteta, I’d think long and hard before letting Gyokeres leave, even for a player as special as Alvarez.”
The issue with that is the finances. Atleti aren’t going to let their striker go on the cheap, and if Arsenal won’t add an expensive asset within the transfer, then they might not reach the huge sums the Spanish side wants to see.
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