Arsenal keep Julián Álvarez pursuit alive as transfer window enters final days

Arsenal are prepared to keep their pursuit of Julián Álvarez alive until the final days of the transfer window, but any late move for the Atlético Madrid forward will depend first on whether the Argentina international changes his position over a potential switch to north London.

Álvarez remains one of the most significant unresolved names on the European market with less than a week remaining before the September 1 deadline. Arsenal retain a serious interest in the 26-year-old, although his preference has been to join Barcelona should he leave Atlético.

Sky Sports reports that Arsenal will not abandon the possibility of signing Álvarez before the window closes. The difficulty is not simply reaching an agreement with Atlético: the Gunners are waiting to see whether the forward becomes receptive to the move, and there is currently no indication that a deal with Arsenal is close.

That distinction is central to the situation. Arsenal have the financial strength to explore an elite-level addition but are not expected to commit to a transfer of this scale without confidence that Álvarez actively wants the move. If his stance remains unchanged, the club are prepared to continue with their existing attacking options rather than pursue an alternative forward purely because the deadline is approaching.

Barcelona remain Álvarez’s preferred destination, but Atlético’s resistance to strengthening a direct domestic rival has complicated that route considerably. The Madrid club have taken a firm public position over his future, leaving a situation in which the player’s preferred move is difficult to execute while one of the clubs capable of pursuing him — Arsenal — still needs convincing that he wants to come.

The uncertainty has already affected the opening weeks of Atlético’s season. Álvarez was left out of the starting side for the La Liga opener against Málaga amid the dispute over his future and was subsequently jeered by sections of the home support when he appeared from the bench against Villarreal.

Despite the tension, his sporting value to Diego Simeone remains substantial. Álvarez has scored 49 goals in 107 appearances since joining Atlético from Manchester City in 2024 and is contracted until 2030, leaving the Spanish club under no contractual pressure to sell.

For Arsenal, the appeal is equally clear. Álvarez offers the ability to operate as a central striker, drop between the lines and press aggressively from the front — a profile capable of adding both goals and tactical flexibility to Mikel Arteta’s attack.

But this is not yet a transfer moving towards completion. Arsenal remain positioned to act if the circumstances change; until Álvarez signals that north London is a destination he is prepared to choose, the final decision is likely to rest as much with the player as with either club.

With the deadline approaching, that leaves Arsenal in an unusual position: interested enough to remain at the table, financially capable of making a major move, but unwilling to force one without the player’s commitment.