Arsenal are willing to double Julian Alvarez’s current salary, according to reports in the Spanish media.
Catalan publication Sport claim that the Gunners could hand the Argentinian international a contract worth €25m a year, which works out at roughly £412,000 a week.
Alvarez has been holding out for a move to Barcelona, but Mikel Arteta’s side have been pushing hard to secure his signature, despite the player’s preference to stay in Spain.
They are banking on Atletico staying firm on their stance of not selling the 26-year-old to Barca, as well as the striker warming to the idea of returning to England, two years after his exit from Manchester City.
Arsenal could offer a player in exchange
There are suggestions that the Gunners would be prepared to pay €80m (£68.5m) AND Viktor Gyokeres to land Alvarez.
Considering Gyokeres cost £63.5m last summer, that would value the Atletico Madrid star at £132m, which seems like an incredibly high number, especially when you realise that the forward only scored 8 league goals last season.
Arteta is said to be a huge fan of the Argentinian, having reportedly phoned him twice in order to persuade into making the switch to the Emirates, but you do feel that the club would be overpaying by a sizeable amount.
Are alternatives to Alvarez being considered?
Juventus’s Kenan Yildiz is another player that Arsenal have shown a great deal of interest in, but while the Turkish winger is said to be open to joining the Gunners, his club have rejected all approaches up until now.
Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen is another name that has also come up in conversations, but there is no indication that sporting director Andrea Berta has followed up after making initial enquiries.
It’s still possible that a striker or a left winger will be brought in before the transfer deadline, but the London club are cutting it close.