Julian Alvarez has emerged as a transfer target for Arsenal this summer, with Gary Lineker sharing what he ‘knows’ about the situation and offering encouragement
Julian Alvarez is reportedly unhappy at Atletico Madrid (Image: Oscar J. Barroso/Getty Images)
Arsenal could sign Julián Álvarez, who is dissatisfied with Atletico Madrid, according to Gary Lineker. The Gunners are said to be interested in the Argentine star, who has an impressive goalscoring record.
The 25-year-old forward has scored 40 goals and provided 13 assists in 86 appearances for Atleti since joining from Manchester City for £81.5 million in August 2024, while he has scored 36 goals and provided 19 assists in 103 games for City and is once again attracting transfer interest.
Arsenal are believed to have lodged an informal investigation into Alvarez ahead of a potential £87m move in the summer, while Barcelona continue to be linked with Alvarez. Atleti manager Diego Simeone was furious at the questions about his star forward, but Arsenal are said to have received an offer of encouragement from Lineker, who hinted he had insider information.
Speaking on the podcast The Rest is Football, Lineker said: “Most of these things are on social media, so it’s probably completely bull****, but I saw them related to Julián Alvarez. I know that he is not completely happy with life at Atlético.”
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“Now we know that player is capable of handling those big moments. He’s a World Cup winner for crying out loud. If we had a player like that at Arsenal, it would be game over. But we need one or two of these current forwards to start scoring goals on a reasonably regular basis.”
Arsenal already have Víctor Goqueres, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz as forward options, but have struggled to score goals from up front of late. Reliance on goals from set-pieces has emerged as a serious problem for Mikel Arteta’s side in recent days, and a summer move for Alvarez could be the solution.
The Gunners have strong links with the club in the form of sporting director Andrea Berta, who joined the Premier League side last year after a 12-year spell at Atleti. Despite this, Alvarez is still under contract with Atleti until 2030, with a termination fee of a whopping 500 million euros (approximately 43.3 billion yen).
Julian Alvarez rumored to be linked with both Arsenal and Barcelona (Image: Getty Images)
Coach Simeone also does not seem to be thinking about resigning. Asked over the weekend about Alvarez’s future, he said: “Seriously? Are you seriously asking that? The truth is, Julian Alvarez speaks for himself. Because of his name, the authority he carries, the career he’s built, right?”
Alvarez himself has denied the speculation, recently saying: “Look, I don’t care. I try not to pay too much attention to it, but I know what’s being said. It’s all over social media. I think what’s being said online is more important than what’s actually happening.”
“I’m very focused on what’s going to happen this season with Atletico Madrid, so I try not to worry about that and think about myself, about continuing to develop as a player and about winning.”
Meanwhile, his agent Fernando Hidalgo said: “Clubs interested in Julien should contact Atletico Madrid’s management, because he is under contract and committed to the club. That is not true. I have not met Deco or anyone from Barcelona during this period.”
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