Arsenal ecstatic as striker says YES to record-breaking £130m transfer after rival rejected | OneFootball

Arsenal could blow Liverpool’s record-breaking £125m move for Alexander Isak away with a striker signing of their own worth £130m, according to multiple reports.

Isak became the Premier League’s most expensive signing last summer upon completing his blockbuster transfer from Newcastle to Liverpool. But just one summer later, Arsenal could take that mantle if meeting Atletico Madrid’s demands for Julain Alvarez.

TEAMtalk has consistently reported on Arsenal’s interest in the former Manchester City frontman dating back to January.

There are very real chances for the 26-year-old to change clubs in the summer despite only joining Atleti in 2024.

Alvarez’s preference if moving on so soon after his €95m switch is joining Barcelona. However, the latest from Spanish outlet Sport states Atletico Madrid have no intention of selling to their domestic rival.

They then doubled down on that claim, adding: ‘Atlético has decided not to sell Julián Álvarez to Barcelona, ​​although they might explore a transfer to the Premier League if the fee significantly exceeds €100 million.’

The key phrase in that sentence, at least from Arsenal’s perspective, is ‘significantly exceeds.’

Alvarez is under contract in Madrid until 2030 and as such, the LaLiga giant are in an exceedingly strong negotiating position.

As such, Sport went on to state Atleti would only consider cashing in if ‘an offer close to €150 million arrives.’ At current exchange rate, €150m equates to £130m.

Arsenal have shown a willingness to break the £100m barrier for the right player. Despite costing £105m, you’ll be hard pressed to find a single soul that doesn’t think Declan Rice was worth every penny.

If Arsenal truly believe Alvarez is the perfect striker to spearhead their attack, and the Argentine helps the Gunners dominate for the rest of the 2020s, it could be a deal worth making despite the eye-watering cost.

And crucially for Arsenal, our insider, Graeme Bailey, has been informed Alvarez is very much open to returning to England. What’s more, if he does return to these shores, he wants to move to London.

As previously mentioned, his preference is Barcelona but a move to the Camp Nou now looks impossible to make.

Because of that uncertainty, Alvarez has again been asked by his camp whether he wants to explore alternative options, and the response from the player was a firm yes.

Alvarez has scored 45 goals and provided 15 assists since arriving at Atleti at the start of last season.

During his time in England at Man City, he scored 36 goals and provided 19 assists in two seasons despite never being a guaranteed starter.

But given Erling Haaland locked up the striker spot and Kevin De Bruyne was on hand to fill the No 10 role during Alvarez’s brief stay in England, there’s no shame in that.