Julian Alvarez transfer dream appears to be over for Arsenal as deadline approaches

The dream of signing Julian Alvarez looks to be slipping away.

According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal are not hopeful of signing the Argentine forward before tonight’s deadline.

Bar a last-minute change in stance from the player himself, the Gunners have turned their attention elsewhere. Alvarez is expected to stay at Atletico Madrid.

It’s a bitter blow and caps off a summer of near-misses in attack.

Arsenal passed up on Morgan Rogers’ £117million price tag and turned their attention to Vinicius Jr but they couldn’t lure him away from Real Madrid.

Malick Fofana had been considered as a budget alternative but Arsenal were unwilling to meet Lyon’s asking price for the winger, who’s now set to join Sunderland.

And now Alvarez, the player who, besides Vinicius, carried more excitement than any other target all summer, appears to be staying in Spain.

Alvarez was booed by Atletico fans before, during and after their game against Villarreal. He then missed training for three consecutive days due to illness, which briefly intensified Arsenal’s hopes.

In the midst of this, Atletico’s board released official statements declaring they are refusing to sell to Barcelona. It all seemed to point towards Arsenal’s direction.

Mikel Arteta really wanted him, and the recruitment staff gathered comprehensive data on his injury record, physiological numbers and playing output. Everyone was aligned on bringing Alvarez to the Emirates.

But the obstacle, as it has been all summer, was Alvarez himself. He only ever wanted Barcelona. Arsenal were always the alternative, and in the end, he would rather stay at Atletico than that.

Gary Neville identified the missing piece of Arsenal’s jigsaw after Monday’s win at Villa. He thinks, as do many Arsenal fans, that they need a bit more quality in attack. The sort of player that helps turn 1-0 wins into 3-0 wins. Without Alvarez, that piece is still missing.

No Alvarez, then. And no Fofana. The window closes at 11pm, and Arsenal’s summer, at least in terms of attacking reinforcement, has ultimately fallen short of what Arteta needed.