Arsenal are plotting a fresh swoop to sign Atletico Madrid centre-forward Julian Alvarez in January, according to TEAMtalk.
Bolstering the attack was one of the Gunners’ targets after the conclusion of a successful 2025-26 campaign. The club were linked with several high-profile names and reportedly saw their attempts to sign Morgan Rogers and Vinicius Jr fall through. Rogers joined London rivals Chelsea in a record-breaking deal, while Vinicius agreed to an extended, improved contract to remain at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Arsenal ended the window with Christos Tzolis as their only attacking addition. While the Greek international has impressed, the team’s whole attacking output is the lowest among their top four counterparts, an indication that they still need to bolster their attack.
On the other hand, Viktor Gyokeres, who finished last season as Arsenal’s highest scorer, has struggled this season and is yet to score in the ongoing campaign, leading the club to assess potential centre-forward options in the market.
Having failed in their initial attempt to sign Alvarez in the summer, TEAMtalk now reports that Arsenal are preparing to launch a fresh swoop to sign the 26-year-old.
Although Alvarez has remained professional, he remains unhappy at the Spanish capital, and his future is in doubt, leading to optimism within Arsenal that he would seriously consider a move to the Emirates Stadium, according to the report.
Fresh swoop
The report adds that Premier League champions were willing to submit an offer in excess of £100m to sign the deal, while Gyokeres, Ethan Nwaneri and Noni Madueke were also brought up during direct talks as part of the package to bring the 26-year-old to the Emirates.
Barcelona were interested in Alvarez but have now included other options, including Erling Haaland, among their targets, making Arsenal the preferred alternative in the race for his signature, TEAMtalk adds.
However, the North Londoners will need to act swiftly in discussions over his transfer to avoid being trumped by other clubs, with the report adding that Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are also interested in signing the Argentina international.
So far this season, Kai Havertz has been Mikel Arteta’s preferred outlet up top, flanked by Christos Tzolis and Bukayo Saka.
Bringing Alvarez, valued at £93m by Transfermarkt, would hand the manager a dynamic, natural centre-forward who can create, link up play, hold up play and score whenever called upon.
With Gyokeres being offered to Atletico in talks, it’ll be interesting to see whether Atletico would be open to acquiring the Swede, demand more cash or insist on retaining him in the Spanish capital.
