Arsenal are prepared to submit a British record £128 million offer for Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez, according to a report from The Athletic.
Atletico Madrid have made it clear they are open to selling Alvarez exclusively to Arsenal, having rejected approaches from both Barcelona and Real Madrid this summer.
Mario Cortegana of The Athletic reports that one source close to Atletico’s leadership stated a deal would require a fee of €150m, equivalent to approximately £128.4m.
The La Liga side have firmly closed the door on any transfer to their Spanish rivals, but have left room for discussions with the Premier League champions.
Arsenal’s interest in bolstering their attack remains strong despite already completing the signing of Club Brugge winger Christos Tzolis ahead of the transfer deadline.
Alvarez’s situation at Atletico Madrid has become increasingly uncomfortable, with the striker being jeered by his own supporters during a La Liga opener against Villarreal at the weekend.
The Argentine appeared as a second-half substitute in that fixture and went straight down the tunnel at full-time as teammates applauded fans, with supporters hurling scarves and shirts in his direction as he left the pitch.
TEAMtalk insider Graeme Bailey reports that Alvarez’s camp are imploring the 26-year-old to make the move to Arsenal, though the striker himself has so far shown no firm desire to join the Gunners.
Alvarez’s primary preference remains a move to FC Barcelona, but Atletico’s unwillingness to sell to the current La Liga champions makes that scenario extremely unlikely to materialise.
Arsenal are reportedly willing to submit the record offer only if they receive encouragement from Alvarez first that he would be open to joining the north London club.
Since his big-money arrival from Manchester City two years ago, Alvarez has shown his quality at Atletico, registering 29 goals and eight assists in his debut campaign before contributing 14 goal involvements in 15 Champions League matches last season.
Alvarez’s combination of mobility, creativity, and goalscoring ability would make him a natural fit for Mikel Arteta’s system, potentially becoming the club’s first-choice centre-forward should a transfer be agreed.