Julian Alvarez watches from the bench at Atletico Madrid (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)
Barcelona have reportedly decided not to move for Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez in the January transfer window.
The Argentina international has been Barca’s top target all summer and it’s clear they are the only club he’s interested in joining.
Arsenal are also among Alvarez’s suitors though, so it will be interesting to see how the latest update goes, according to reports Pick up and drop off servicewhich will affect the Gunners’ hopes of returning the former Manchester City striker.
Arsenal still need to sign a world-class player first as they missed out on Alvarez and a number of other targets in the summer, but the 26-year-old had previously decided not to move to the Emirates Stadium as he awaited Barcelona.
Julian Alvarez isn’t completely rejecting Arsenal
Fabrizio Romano talks about his Youtube The channel reports that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta personally called Alvarez to try to convince him to move to north London.
Discussing the saga, Romano feels it’s worth stressing that Alvarez hasn’t outright rejected Arsenal, but simply prefers to wait and see if a move to the Camp Nou comes his way.
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While ultimately this won’t be a comfort to AFC supporters as it still means they won’t be able to sign Alvarez in the summer, it could become even more important now.
If Barcelona are serious about not re-signing Alvarez, then perhaps he will have to take a more serious look at Arsenal’s interest in January.
Is Julian Alvarez worth the hype?
On his day, there’s no question that Alvarez is a guy to watch and may have a better all-around game than Victor Chokeres.
Still, it’s worth noting that Joe Kreis still scored more goals than Alvarez last season, and there’s a good chance we’re excluding the Sweden international too early.
Alvarez’s qualities make him attractive, but it’s also a limited market for forwards, meaning Arsenal may have to pay well above the odds to sign him.
Considering he’s not really a goalscoring machine and isn’t even that keen on returning to English football, you have to wonder if pursuing this further is actually the right move.