Arsenal appear to be edging closer to a potential deadline deal for Julian Alvarez after weeks of patient background work, with the club's long-standing interest in the Atletico Madrid forward now seemingly close to bearing fruit.
The 26-year-old has been at the centre of a chaotic 48 hours in Spanish football, with Atletico Madrid making clear they have no intention of selling him to Barcelona, his reported preferred destination. That firm stance, confirmed publicly this week, has opened a window of opportunity for Arsenal, who have quietly monitored the situation for months while waiting for Barcelona's financial constraints to become an obstacle too great to overcome.
Mikel Arteta has reportedly known since as early as May that Barcelona was Alvarez's dream move, but the Arsenal manager and his recruitment team judged that the Catalan club would struggle to structure a deal given their well-documented financial limitations. That calculation now looks to be paying dividends, with sources suggesting Alvarez has increasingly turned his attention toward a switch to north London.
The deteriorating relationship between Atletico and Barcelona reached a new low this week, with representatives of both clubs, along with Arsenal officials, present at the Champions League draw in Monaco when Atletico's hardline position was made public. Atletico chief Gil Marin described the situation as a difficult one for Alvarez, saying the player was in