Arsenal are refusing to abandon their pursuit of Julian Alvarez, with Mikel Arteta making a personal appeal to the Atletico Madrid forward despite his reluctance to move to north London.
Alvarez had appeared to shut the door on Arsenal after informing Arteta that he was not interested in returning to England.
But the Premier League champions have not walked away, with their dramatic attacking clear-out potentially creating room for one final major move before the transfer window closes.
Arsenal make fresh Julian Alvarez push
The Guardian reports that Arsenal remain actively pursuing Alvarez, with Arteta personally attempting to convince the Argentina international to reconsider his position.
That represents another significant twist in a transfer saga which appeared to have swung decisively against Arsenal only days ago.
ReadArsenal reported on Saturday that Julian Alvarez had rejected an Arsenal move after deciding he did not want to return to England.
David Ornstein subsequently revealed that Alvarez had communicated directly with Arteta and made his position clear, despite Arsenal being prepared to negotiate with Atletico.
Arsenal are evidently not treating that response as the end of their pursuit.
Alvarez continues to prefer Barcelona, but Atletico have categorically ruled out selling one of their most important players to a direct La Liga rival.
Reuters reported that Atletico’s board had given zero consideration to negotiating with Barcelona, leaving Arsenal as the most credible alternative should the 26-year-old decide he must leave Madrid.
Arsenal exits open door to huge late signing
Arsenal’s attacking picture has changed dramatically over the past 48 hours.
Gabriel Martinelli is heading to Al Hilal after Arsenal agreed a package worth more than €65million, while Gabriel Jesus is closing in on a shock permanent move to Barcelona.
Fabio Vieira is also set to leave permanently for Hamburg.
The Guardian reports that Arsenal have agreed outgoing deals worth more than £70m across those players while continuing their pursuit of Alvarez.
Martinelli’s departure in particular creates another opening in Arteta’s attacking options after the Brazilian had been an important part of the squad for several seasons.
There is still a major obstacle.
Alvarez must change his mind.
Atletico’s refusal to negotiate with Barcelona gives Arsenal an opportunity at club level, but Arteta and Andrea Berta still need the player to embrace a return to the Premier League before any blockbuster transfer can become realistic.
With the window closing on Tuesday night, Arsenal have chosen not to give up yet.
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