Arsenal Are Reportedly Offering Two Strikers to Land Julián Álvarez — But He Still Wants Barcelona

Would you trade two strikers for one? That is the question Arsenal are reportedly asking themselves as the transfer window enters its final days — with Julián Álvarez the target, and a deal that would send two first-team forwards the other way.

According to Sky Sports' Paper Talk and multiple other outlets, Arsenal have explored offering Atlético Madrid a package built around Viktor Gyökeres and Gabriel Jesus, potentially alongside cash, in exchange for Julián Álvarez. REPORTS SAY Atlético value Álvarez at around £128m and want a decision on his future by the end of the week, with the Premier League and EFL transfer window closing on Tuesday, September 1.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been searching for a new No.9 all summer, and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville has said Álvarez would add "magic" to the Gunners' frontline. But there is a real complication: Álvarez is reported to still prefer a move to Barcelona. Atlético are said to have told him they will not sell him to a fellow La Liga rival, which — REPORTS SAY — is part of why he has reportedly grown more open to Arsenal as his other realistic option.

None of this is confirmed by either club. What multiple Sky Sports reports agree on: Arsenal have presented more than one proposal, including a straight cash offer and a swap-plus-cash structure; Atlético have shifted from resistant to reportedly "willing to sell" to Arsenal specifically; and Barcelona, Álvarez's reported preference, are said to be unable to meet Atlético's asking price and have already ended their pursuit. This remains SPECULATION/REPORTS stage — not an agreed or completed transfer.

"Julian Alvarez would add magic to Arsenal's frontline," Gary Neville said on Sky Sports, urging the club to push for the deal. Sky's own Transfer Talk podcast has openly debated whether Arsenal risk squad harmony by adding another star forward mid-season. Atlético, for their part, are reported to be standing firm only on one point: no sale to Barcelona.

With Atlético reportedly wanting Álvarez's future settled by Friday and the transfer window shutting Tuesday, this is expected to move quickly one way or another — but whether it ends in a swap deal, a cash-only offer, Álvarez staying at Atlético, or a move nobody has reported yet, is genuinely unresolved. Nothing here should be read as done until either club confirms it.

Arsenal are reportedly willing to give up two attackers to solve their striker search — but the player they want still, by most reports, wants somewhere else. That tension is exactly what will make the next five days worth watching.