Andrea Berta is set to face a strong battle to bring Julian Alvarez to Arsenal, with Barcelona showing interest and the striker very happy in Spain.
Arsenal have been linked with a move for Alvarez as they look to add the final pieces of the puzzle to Mikel Arteta’s squad.
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It is clear that a new centre forward is still required at the Emirates Stadium, despite Viktor Gyokeres’ brace against Tottenham over the weekend.
Alvarez is one of the names on Berta’s list of targets, and the Italian director appears to be keen to sign him for the second time.
Arsenal target Julian Alvarez loves living in Spain
The big issue facing Arsenal in their pursuit of Julian Alvarez is that he loves living in Spain, which could give Barcelona an advantage, according to Gaston Edul.
The 26-year-old has already experienced living in London during his time at Manchester City, and he played very well in the Premier League.
In 67 appearances in the Premier League, the striker produced 20 goals and 11 assists, but struggled to ever break into Pep Guardiola’s team.
The Argentine has now been impressing in La Liga, and several major European clubs are keen to land him.
One of those clubs is Barcelona; however, despite making their interest in the player clear, there are serious doubts as to whether they can afford him.
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Speaking about their interest, Edul told Objectivo Atleti: “Barcelona communicates with the inner circle, they make it known that they want him, but then they don’t have the money to buy him.”
The Argentine journalist also confirmed Arsenal and Chelsea’s interest, but added that the player chose to live in Spain and likes the country.
Therefore, if Andrea Berta is hoping to sign Alvarez again, he will need to convince him to make a return to England and leave the Spanish capital.
Viktor Gyokeres is outscoring Julian Alvarez this season
Despite the fans’ burning desire to replace Gyokeres with Alvarez, the Arsenal striker is currently outscoring the Atletico player this season.
Alvarez is on 13 goals this term; meanwhile, Gyokeres has taken his tally to 15 for Arsenal and is on course for a very strong campaign.
Gyokeres needs just two goals to match Alexander Lacazette as the Gunners’ highest scoring player in their debut campaign since 2018.
The 27-year-old still has much to prove until the end of the season, but his current goal rate is rather impressive, despite all the noise around his poor form.
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