Arsenal react after learning how much Barcelona are ‘offering’ Julian Alvarez in salary
Senior officials at Arsenal are reluctant to go big on Julian Alvarez to bring him to the Emirates Stadium, according to a report, as Fabrizio Romano reveals the Atletico Madrid striker’s desire to move to Barcelona.
Alvarez dropped a bombshell on Monday after Argentina’s 2026 World Cup match against Austria.
With Arsenal, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain chasing Alvarez, the former Manchester City striker revealed his desire to leave Atletico in the summer transfer window.
Alvarez said, as quoted on BBC Sport: “I spoke with the people at [Atletico] I needed to speak with, and the best thing for everyone is a transfer.
“I want to fulfil my dream.
“It’s not the time to talk about this, but I also can’t hide it.
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“I try to be an honest person.”
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano subsequently claimed that Alvarez has rejected Arsenal and PSG and wants to join Barcelona.
Romano said on his YouTube channel: “PSG tried, but Julian Alvarez said, ‘Thanks, but I want to go to Barcelona’.
“And also, Arsenal tried to make an approach to Atletico Madrid and to Julian Alvarez’s camp to understand the situation of Julian Alvarez, but the answer from the player was exactly the same – ‘Thanks, but I want to go to Barcelona’.
“So, this is what Julian told Arsenal and PSG.
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“Now, it’s going to be important to see what happens.
“It’s still very long, it’s been a long time of this story, but it’s still two months before we can call the very end of the summer transfer window.
“Now, we have to understand what Atletico Madrid will do with these two clubs because the strategy at Atletico could be, we want to keep the player, of course, but if Julian wants to leave, as he announced, he has the possibility to negotiate with Arsenal or eventually with PSG.
“Well, on PSG, let me tell you, PSG have gone very cold.
“PSG didn’t take the transfer well, so I think the PSG story for Julian Alvarez is very, very very cold at this stage.
“Arsenal still didn’t sign a new striker, and so, in case the doors open again from now to the next weeks, we have to see what happens.
“But, at the moment, the strategy for Atletico could be okay, you want to leave, you can go to another club.
“Otherwise, they can keep the player because they insist on keeping the player and consider Julian not for sale.
“In this story, Barcelona remain strong with the agreement with the player.
“They know that the player wants to go there when Alvarez goes public and says, ‘I want to fulfil my dream’, the dream is Barcelona, but now it depends what happens between the clubs.”
Arsenal stance on signing Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid
However, HandofArsenal, an Arsenal-centric X account, has claimed that Alvarez has not completely ruled out a move to the Premier League champions.
The account posted on X at 7:57am on June 23: “Julian Alvarez Update
“If you remember, I stated there was another attacker I chose to keep anonymous.
“That player was indeed Julian Alvarez.
“The reason I said it was sensitive was because one of our players (Gyokeres) was potentially involved but let me just provide the facts for Arsenal fans.
“To my understanding the following statements are 100% factual.
“The players dream is Barca (personal terms agreed already)
“Barca have always wanted Julian to go public with his desire to force Atleti’s position
“Atleti are adamant they will not to sell to Barca and would rather sell abroad but it wont stop Barca from trying
“PSG to my understanding left the race due to Campos / Enrique not wanting a player who doesn’t absolutely prioritise them but I wont be shocked if they return due to the players quality
“Julian has been a target for Arsenal since last summer
“After our group stage game Arteta made it clear we must atleast be in the race for the Argentine
“I can 100% confirm Atleti have interest in Viktor Gyokeres
“Andrea Berta has maintained contacts with the camp since last summer and has explored ‘different structures & mechanisms’ to bring Julian Alvarez to North London in the recent months…
“Reports about ‘the English weather’ being a reason Julian and his family would not return to England are absolutely false.
“The player would be very open to joining Arsenal and has directly told us should his dream to Barca become impossible
“Arsenal are yet to officially formalise their interest but Atleti are well aware of our interest.”
It has now emerged in the Spanish media that some key figures at Arsenal are reluctant to pay over €100million (£86.2m) for Alvarez.
Barcelona are ready to offer the Argentina international striker €18m (£15.5m) per year net, according to journalist Diego Torres Romano, who has over 50,000 followers on X.
The Spanish reporter has revealed that Arsenal are aware of Barcelona’s offer and are themselves willing to pay Alvarez €12m (£10.3m) per year net
The journalist posted on X at 1:21pm on June 23: “Very important people at Arsenal are warning the club that today it is a huge risk to pay more than 100 million for Julian and give him a salary of more than 12 million net/year.
“According to Arsenal, Barca are offering him 18 million net/year. What Lamine earns.”
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