Arsenal’s interest in Atletico Madrid star Julian Alvarez is no longer a secret.
The Argentine international has been on the Gunners’ radar for a long time now, and reports have claimed that Arsenal even tabled a huge bid to sign Alvarez last summer.
No move materialised back then, but Arsenal’s interest has not gone anywhere, and they have been heavily linked with another attempt to sign him in recent weeks.
However, Andrea Berta will have to spend much more than what was initially reported as Atletico Madrid’s asking price to sign Alvarez.
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Atletico Madrid double their asking price for Arsenal target Julian Alvarez
Julian Alvarez is up there with the best forwards in the world.
The World Cup winner has directly contributed to 56 goals in 92 games since joining Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2024, which is an incredible record.
That is one of the many reasons why Arsenal are interested in signing Alvarez, and reports claimed in January that a €100 million (£87m) price tag was set by Atletico Madrid.
However, if Cadena Ser are now to be believed, that figure has doubled.
The report has claimed that when Barcelona tried to begin talks to sign Alvarez, Atleti responded by quoting a €200 million (£174.5m) price tag.
Furthermore, it has been revealed that the striker has a €480 million (£419m) release clause inserted in his contract.
We are almost certain that Arsenal will not pay such a huge fee for Alvarez. It remains to be seen whether Berta can use his connections at Atleti to bring the price down significantly.
What is the highest fee you would pay to sign Julian Alvarez for Arsenal?
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Julian Alvarez is in talks to sign a new Atletico Madrid contract
Alvarez’s current contract at Atletico Madrid does not expire until the summer of 2030, which is still over four years away.
That puts the Spanish giants in a strong position in potential transfer negotiations, but they want to protect themselves even more.
The report from Cadena Ser confirms that Atletico Madrid are in talks with Alvarez over a new contract to extend his stay at the club beyond 2030.
“The information we have is that he is closer to renewing for Atletico than going anywhere else,” confirmed journalist Santi Ovalle to the outlet.
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