football.london takes a look at the latest news surrounding two long-term Arsenal targets
Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta reacts during a team training session at the Arsenal training centre in London Colney, north of London, on October 12, 2026, on the eve of their UEFA Champions League football match against Lille.
Mikel Arteta's Arsenal take on Lille next(Image: ADRIAN DENNIS, AFP via Getty Images)
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Arsenal's return to club football brought a welcome Premier League victory following the three-week-long international break. Saturday's 2-1 comeback win over Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium got the Gunners back to winning ways, though they suffered two additional injury setbacks.
Attention now turns to Europe, with Lille visiting north London on Tuesday night for the next Champions League league phase fixture. Having beaten Napoli in their opening European game last month, Mikel Arteta will be looking to build on that start while managing a squad missing several players.
Beyond the immediate demands of those fixtures, the January transfer window offers the next opportunity to address any outstanding recruitment needs. Arsenal signed Christos Tzolis, Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa in the summer, but their search for a superstar forward ended in disappointing fashion.
Two forwards linked with Arsenal during that search remain in the spotlight. Here, football.london rounds up the latest reports on Julian Alvarez and Kenan Yildiz.
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Alvarez actions brought up
Julian Alvarez of Atletico de Madrid controls the ball during the LaLiga EA Sports match between Deportivo Alaves and Atletico de Madrid at Estadio Mendizorrotza in Vitoria, Spain, on October 10, 2026.
Julian Alvarez's behaviour has been praised(Image: NurPhoto, NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has praised Alvarez's recent attitude after the Argentine forward failed to secure his desired move to Barcelona during the summer window.
The 26-year-old repeatedly expressed his wish to leave and was booed by his own supporters at the start of the season. He also missed several training sessions in the final days of the transfer window in an attempt to force a move to Catalonia.
Arsenal pursued Alvarez, but while Atletico were willing to consider offers, the striker was reluctant to move to north London. He has since returned to Simeone's side and played the entire second half of Saturday's victory over Alaves.
Amid recent speculation that Alvarez has reconsidered his decision to turn down Arsenal, Simeone praised the forward's commitment and work rate. The manager said: "I thought Julian [Alvarez] looked good today. He came on with enthusiasm, eager to do well and help the team. He finished the match well."
Before the fixture, Simeone had said: "I see him in good shape, enthusiastic, and he has the desire to give everything he has, as he always does. When he is in good shape, he gives us a different dimension in attack."
Kenan Yildiz encouragement
Frosinone, Italy - August 23: Kenan Yildiz of Juventus FC in action during the Serie A match between Frosinone Calcio and Juventus FC at Stadio Benito Stirpe on August 23, 2026 in Frosinone, Italy.
Bayern Munich will not pursue Kenan Yildiz (Image: DeFodi Images, DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
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Arsenal have reportedly received encouragement in their pursuit of Juventus winger Yildiz. football.london understands Yildiz is a player the club appreciate and the Gunners have considered spending big on him; however, neither Juventus nor the player have shown the necessary willingness to engage to make a deal a reality.
Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are also reportedly interested in the forward, who is valued at €150million (£127m). However, German outlet BILD reports that Bayern, where Yildiz spent most of his youth career, will not compete if rival clubs make big offers.
The Bundesliga side are unwilling to show that they made a costly mistake in initially letting him go, according to the same report. Meanwhile, Arsenal are said to be capable of meeting Juventus's asking price, strengthening their position in the pursuit.
The Gunners still have a substantial sum of money available to spend after unsuccessful attempts to sign both Vinicius Junior and Alvarez in the summer window.