Arsenal track Julian Alvarez opportunity as Atletico Madrid and Barcelona dispute deepens

Arsenal are closely monitoring the increasingly bitter dispute between Atletico de Madrid and Barcelona over Julian Alvarez, with the Premier League club hoping the disagreement will persuade the Argentina striker to consider a move to England.

Arsenal believe the tension between the Spanish clubs could create an opening for them to convince Alvarez to join Mikel Arteta’s side. The club are prepared to present an attractive proposal as they continue to explore a deal that would be extremely expensive.

According to Spanish newspaper Sport, Arsenal remain committed to attempting to sign Alvarez despite the likely financial scale of the transfer. The overall cost could reach €150m, although the greatest difficulty may not be reaching an agreement with Atletico de Madrid but persuading the player to return to England.

Alvarez is understood to be very happy in Spain. He has become a father since moving there and his family are settled in comfortable surroundings. He is also reluctant to return to a country he already knows from his previous spell with Manchester City.

Arsenal’s hopes rest on two main selling points: their sporting project and their financial strength.

The club have demonstrated their ability to compete for the biggest honours after recently winning the Premier League and reaching the UEFA Champions League final. Arteta has also built a team that could appeal to Alvarez, with Arsenal offering a cohesive squad and an attractive attacking style of football.

That approach may suit the striker more than the demands placed on him at Atletico de Madrid. Alvarez has often been required to carry out defensive duties, while he can find himself a long way from the opposition goal when Atletico begin attacks.

His performances suggest he could produce even more in a side with a stronger attacking emphasis, such as the team being developed by Arteta.

Arsenal can also offer a contract that would place Alvarez among Europe’s highest-paid players. If he were to abandon his ambition of moving to Barcelona, his decision to return to England would need to be matched by a very substantial salary.

His financial demands are expected to be considerably higher for a move back to the Premier League than they would be if he remained in La Liga.

Even so, the proposed transfer remains highly complicated. Arsenal will hope the growing disagreement between Atletico and Barcelona leaves Alvarez with fewer alternatives and increases the chances of him accepting an English offer.

The dispute became more serious after Atletico de Madrid general manager Miguel Angel Gil Marin launched a strong criticism of Barcelona, accusing the Catalan club of “falsehood”. Barcelona vice-president Rafael Yuste responded by saying Atletico had “crossed the red line”.

The two clubs clearly disagree over how Barcelona approached the player. Atletico believe Barcelona acted disloyally by making contact with Alvarez behind their back. Barcelona, however, insist they have acted transparently from the start and point to an offer worth €100m, which remains on the table.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has also made clear that the club have not completely abandoned their pursuit of Alvarez, despite Atletico’s refusal making the deal increasingly difficult.

Alvarez is Barcelona’s only remaining option for the centre-forward position after the club ruled out the other alternatives that had been considered, including Lautaro Martinez of Inter Milan.

Arsenal are watching the situation while they still have time to reach an agreement. The transfer window does not close until midnight on 1 September, meaning the coming days could bring further developments in a transfer saga in which Alvarez’s name is likely to remain prominent.