World Cup star has held regular talks with Berta and Arteta about joining Arsenal

By AsiaEurope On Aug 23, 2026

Arsenal may have started their Premier League title defence with a convincing win, but their work in the transfer market is not necessarily finished.

Mikel Arteta’s side beat Coventry City 3-0 at the Emirates, with Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard rounding off a routine but impressive win.

New winger Christos Tzolis also impressed on his competitive debut, as the Greek supplied the cross which led to Saka’s goal.

Tzolis was signed from Club Brugge for £34 million after Leandro Trossard joined Besiktas, giving Arsenal a younger, exciting option on the left and immediately showed that he can add direct running and quality delivery.

Arsenal’s summer forward targets analysed
Player	Position	Club when linked	Level of interest	Current status
Christos Tzolis	Left winger	Club Brugge	Chosen to replace Leandro Trossard	Signed for £34m on a five-year contract.
Julian Alvarez	Centre-forward	Atletico Madrid	Major target, with Arteta and Andrea Berta maintaining contact	Still possible but difficult. Alvarez prefers Barcelona, although Atletico are reluctant to sell to a domestic rival. Arsenal remain his main Premier League escape route.
Kenan Yildiz	Left winger / No.10	Juventus	Now high on Arsenal’s attacking shortlist	Live interest. Arsenal are exploring a deal, but Juventus want more than £60m and are determined to keep him. A move could be revisited in January if it cannot be completed now.
Bradley Barcola	Left winger	Paris Saint-Germain	Retained interest after missing out on Morgan Rogers	Unlikely at present. PSG’s valuation is around £145m, while Liverpool appear to be pushing harder for his signature. No Arsenal bid has been reported.
Victor Osimhen	Centre-forward	Galatasaray	Late alternative discussed between the clubs	Exploratory only. His availability has been mentioned during talks involving Arsenal players, but there is no firm offer and his salary would be a major obstacle.
Junior Kroupi	Centre-forward / left winger	Bournemouth	Admired as a younger attacking option	Move postponed. Injury has reduced the chances of a summer transfer, while Bournemouth regard him as unavailable. Arsenal could return in January.
Vinicius Junior	Left winger	Real Madrid	Arsenal’s ideal marquee target	Deal off. The Brazilian has recommitted his future to Real Madrid and agreed a new contract.
Morgan Rogers	Left winger / attacking midfield	Aston Villa	Arsenal’s original number one attacking target	Joined Chelsea for £117m. Arsenal decided against matching the eventual price.
Anthony Gordon	Left winger	Newcastle United	Admired and considered for the left-sided role	Joined Barcelona. His £69.3m move ended Arsenal’s interest early in the window.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia	Left winger	Paris Saint-Germain	Viewed as an ideal elite-level option	Effectively unavailable. PSG have shown no desire to sell and no active Arsenal negotiations have emerged.
Jean-Mattéo Bahoya	Left winger	Eintracht Frankfurt	Scouted as a developing option	Monitoring only. Arsenal have watched him, but there is no indication of active negotiations.

However, Sky Sports reported at the time of his arrival that Arsenal were still working on a marquee forward.

Morgan Rogers had been their leading attacking target before choosing Chelsea, while Bradley Barcola was another player admired at the Emirates before that trail went cold too.

Arteta has also indicated that further additions could be made before the September 1 deadline.

Arsenal have strengthened their midfield with Bruno Guimarães and added Ezri Konsa to the defence, but another elite attacker could complete the squad.

There is uncertainty around some existing forwards.

Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus were both absent against Coventry amid speculation surrounding their futures. Their departures are not guaranteed, but losing either would reduce the depth behind Tzolis, Saka, Havertz and Viktor Gyökeres.

Arsenal do not simply need another traditional centre-forward, they need a player who can operate across the attack, press defenders and interchange positions.

That search has brought Julián Álvarez back into focus.

A fresh report from AS and Eduardo Burgos claims sporting director Andrea Berta and Arteta have remained in regular communication with the Atlético Madrid forward.

Álvarez has previously resisted Arsenal’s approaches, but the Premier League champions are now being considered as a possible ’emergency’ route out of Madrid.

Barcelona remain his preferred destination. However, Atletico have taken a firm position against allowing their star forward to join a domestic rival, leaving the player with limited alternatives if he remains determined to leave.

The report claims Álvarez is unhappy with the handling of his situation by Atletico chief executive Miguel Ángel Gil Marín. His relationship with Diego Simeone has also become less comfortable, despite the manager having helped bring him to Madrid from Man City in 2024.

The sporting project reportedly appeals to Álvarez.

Arsenal are the reigning English champions, reached the Champions League final last season and can offer him a major role in a team expected to challenge for the biggest trophies.

However, AS says Alvarez has concerns about returning to England because of family and travel complications experienced during his time at Man City. Barcelona would allow him to remain in Spain, where his family is settled.

Centre-forward is Alvarez’s main position, but he’s also capable of playing from either wing. That flexibility would allow Arteta to use him alongside Gyökeres, behind Havertz or from the left.

Álvarez bagged 20 goals in 49 Atlético appearances across all competitions last season, and 10 came in the Champions League, demonstrating his ability as a big game player.

The Argentine, who featured for them at the World Cup, works aggressively without the ball, makes intelligent runs between defenders and can drop towards midfield to connect play.

He could create space for Saka and Odegaard rather than remaining permanently inside the penalty area.

Completing the deal would still be extremely difficult. Álvarez is contracted until 2030 and Gil Marin has previously said that Atlético will reject all big-money bids for him.

Arsenal are currently his fallback rather than his first choice, but if Barcelona cannot reach an agreement and Atlético accept that a sale abroad is preferable, Berta and Arteta’s patient contact may yet be rewarded.

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