Arsenal hold positive talks with Atlético Madrid over Julián Alvarez

Arsenal and Atlético Madrid have held positive talks over the potential signing of Julián Alvarez, according to Sami Mokbel of BBC Sport.

The Argentina international has been told by Diego Simeone's side that he will not be allowed to move to Barcelona this summer, but the club have opened up the possibility of a sale to the Gunners, meaning the Emirates Stadium is likely to be his only potential destination before the transfer window closes.

Alvarez has so far not opened up to joining Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal team, but with his options now limited, he may not be left with a choice and that could be brilliant for the team that have held him in high regard as a long-term target.

🚨 It is understood discussions between Atletico and Arsenal over a club-to-club agreement for Alvarez have been positive.

Indeed, in the event of Alvarez giving Arsenal the green light to proceed with his signing in the coming days, a deal should move quickly. [@SamiMokbel_BBC]

The Gunners have had Alvarez on their list of potential targets throughout the summer, but with Atlético rebuffing interest from Barcelona and city rivals Real Madrid, the chances of signing him looked slim.

That now looks like a real possibilty though after the Argentine was booed and whistled by his own fans in a 2-2 draw with Villarreal. His desire to move to Catalonia with Barcelona is now at a dead end with Atléti unwilling to sell to a fellow La Liga side and after Real saw their pursuit shut down at the start of the window, Arsenal now seem to be his only potential destination.

Due to Alvarez pursuing a move to the Nou Camp, he has not been open to a return to the Premier League with Arteta's side, but it looks like he may now be left without a choice. Following positive talks between the two clubs' hierarchies, the North Londoners would be prepared to complete a move quickly if the player gives the green light.

The Argentina international and his camp were told earlier this week that a move to Barcelona would not be faciliated and he has missed training for the last two days since, citing illness as the reason for his absence.

Atlético director Mateu Alemany was in London last week to meet Arsenal representatives and made it clear that any deal would cost a fee of around £128million, which would see the Gunners break their transfer record of the £105m paid to sign Declan Rice from West Ham in 2023.

Alvarez would be an incredible addition to Arteta's side, but he would certainly be pricey and a move would ignore a transfer stance the Spaniard put in place at the start of his tenure as Arsenal boss.

Arteta has previously made it clear that if he needs to convince a player to join the club, it may not be the right move, and after Alvarez has made his desire to join Barcelona very obvious over the summer, this would be a perfect example of a transfer the Gunners should avoid.

However, it looks like Arsenal are ready to pounce if the striker does give the nod of approval to a move to the Emirates Stadium and if he does end up joining before the window closes on 1 September, they could finally have the lethal and deadly striker they've desperately needed for so long.

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