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David Tully Jul 21st 2026
Arsenal have not given up hope that they can snap up Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez, according to journalist David Ornstein.
Speaking on The Athletic FC podcast, Ornstein said the Argentinian international is still on the club’s radar, despite Atletico having made it clear that the forward is not for sale:
“We need to see what’s going on with Julian Alvarez. He’s obviously the dream target for Mikel Arteta, the apple of their eye.”
“He wanted to go to Barcelona, but that path seems to be blocked by Atletico Madrid. The word from Madrid is that they’re keeping him, and that’s been said publicly. If there’s any opening of a door, I’m sure Arsenal will try to walk through it, and there’ll be others.”
Alvarez could go on strike
Reports in the Argentinian media suggest that the former Manchester City player may consider not showing up for training in order to force a transfer away from Atletico.
However, there is still a feeling that Alvarez would hold out for a move to Barcelona, which is said to be his preferred destination.
As of yet, there is no indication that Arsenal will get their window of opportunity to secure his signature.
Are Arsenal pursuing any other forwards?
Alvarez is a long-term target for the Gunners, and he would have been signed last summer instead of Viktor Gyokeres if he was on the market.
With that being the case, sporting director Andrea Berta is not expected to pursue another No. 9 if a move for Alvarez doesn’t materialise.
A wide player is set to be prioritised instead, having failed to land Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers after refusing to match Chelsea’s £117m bid.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola, RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande and Antonio Nusa are all reportedly under consideration. You can read our comparison of the trio here.
David Tully
David Tully
David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for the Football News Network.