Julian Alvarez makes transfer decision amid Arsenal & Chelsea interest | OneFootball

Julian Alvarez has reportedly decided he favours a transfer to Barcelona if he is to leave Atletico Madrid, despite links with the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea.

According to Sport, the Argentina international seems to be leaning towards Barca as his preferred transfer destination, while Atletico also want him to sign a new contract.

Alvarez has shone during his time at Atletico, even if the goals have dried up for him a little in recent months, and it’s not too surprising to hear reports of interest from bigger clubs.

Arsenal have been linked with Alvarez by ESPN, while there has also been talk of Chelsea advancing on a deal for the 26-year-old, as per ESPN Argentina.

Julian Alvarez transfer saga looks like one to watch this summer

It seems clear that the Alvarez transfer saga is going to be one of the major stories of the summer, with a number of top clubs in need of new striker signings.

Arsenal invested a lot in Viktor Gyokeres last summer, but the Sweden international has been unconvincing since joining the Gunners from Sporting Lisbon.

Julian Alvarez celebrates scoring for Atletico Madrid against Barcelona (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)

Chelsea, meanwhile, will likely be keen on an upgrade on Liam Delap, who has also struggled badly for the Blues since his move from Ipswich Town.

The links with Barcelona also make sense as Alvarez could be an ideal long-term replacement for the ageing Robert Lewandowski.

How good is Julian Alvarez?

The problem for Alvarez is that he’ll need to get back to his best soon or clubs might have serious doubts about paying the kind of money that would be needed to convince Atletico to sell.

The former Manchester City striker has a strong record throughout his career, so his current drought is most likely just a blip.

Alvarez recently ended an 11-game goal drought by scoring against Barcelona in the semi-final of the Copa del Rey, so that could be the confidence boost he needed.

Overall, Alvarez has 41 goals in 91 games for Atletico, following on from 36 goals in 103 games for Man City, while he has a total of 13 goals in 49 caps for Argentina.

He was of course also a World Cup winner with his country four years ago, whilst picking up two Premier League titles and the Champions League during his two years at the Etihad Stadium.