Arsenal, Barcelona and PSG are courting Julián Álvarez ahead of the summer transfer window, but signing the Atletico Madrid attacker won’t come cheap.
Arsenal, Barcelona and PSG sign Julian Alvarez (Image: Getty Images)
Arsenal are interested in signing Julian Alvarez again this summer, but they will need to approve at least one significant sale to fund any future signings.
The Gunners, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are said to be interested in Alvarez, who joins Atletico Madrid from Manchester City in the summer of 2024. However, the 26-year-old Alvarez’s contract is not cheap, with a release clause set at an unprecedented 500 million euros (approximately 43.3 billion yen), and Alvarez’s contract runs until 2030.
No one would pay that kind of money to sign an Argentine international attacker, but interest in Alvarez is expected this summer, with coach Diego Simeone confirming as much on Tuesday, and reports in Spain suggest the starting point for a deal would be 100 million euros (approximately 8.6 billion yen).
Arsenal spent more than £270m last summer without making any major transfers and will need to sell Alvarez if they are to be in a position to lure him back to the Premier League.
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A new report from the Telegraph has outlined five players who could be sold this summer to raise further funds, including two academy stars who have already been touted as candidates to leave Arsenal: Ethan Nwaneri and Miles Lewis-Skelly.
Lewis-Skelly has fallen behind left-back Ricardo Calafioli, with both having struggled to get game time this season, while Nwaneri was granted a loan move to Marseille in January. As products of the academy, both players will represent ‘pure profits’ in terms of current profit and sustainability rules, thereby giving Arsenal significant financial flexibility.
Ben White is a player who could be moved amid intense competition for defensive positions. Julian Timber has supplanted him as Arsenal’s first-choice right-back, but White, who signed for £50m from Brighton, will be set to pay a hefty transfer fee.
Gabriel Martinelli is a player Arsenal are likely to sell this summer (Image: PA)
Another player at risk of being sold is Gabriel Martinelli. The Brazilian has struggled to form this season, scoring just one goal in the Premier League. And with Arsenal looking to revamp their attack, Martinelli could be sacrificed to help that process.
Gabriel Jesus has been mentioned as a fifth player, with the former Manchester City player set to enter the final year of his contract this summer. Importantly, Jesus is one of three players who can play as a full-fledged striker for Arsenal, alongside Victor Gokeres and Kai Havertz. One of them is likely to move on to make room for Alvarez in Mikel Arteta’s side.
If Arsenal can raise the funds to sign Alvarez, competition for the player is likely to be fierce, with Barcelona already on the move and PSG also lurking.
Ethan Nwaneri and Miles Lewis Skelly count as ‘pure profit’ sales
Even Alvarez’s manager, Simeone, is uncertain about the player’s departure next season.
“I’m not inside Julian Alvarez’s head,” he said at a press conference Tuesday. “But I understand that it is normal for an extraordinary player like Julian Alvarez to be wanted by Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona.
“That’s normal because he’s so good.”
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