Fabrizio Romano reveals Arsenal can afford ambitious Julian Alvarez transfer following recent contacts | OneFootball

Transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano claims Arsenal have indicated they can afford an ambitious transfer move for Julian Alvarez.

The problem remains, however, that the Atletico Madrid striker’s priority is to join Barcelona despite the interest from the Gunners.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano provided an update on the Alvarez situation, with Arsenal checking in to see if a deal can be possible.

Although it looks unlikely for now, it seems the Premier League champions have been in contact to say that they could come back in for this signing if Alvarez himself changes his mind and opens the door to a move to the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal signal they can afford Julian Alvarez transfer

Discussing the latest on Alvarez and a possible move to Arsenal, Romano said: “Arsenal told those close to the deal … in case Julian decides to open doors to Arsenal and to English football. As of today, the position of Julian is still the same. Not to Arsenal, Barcelona, but it’s not to Arsenal.

“Julian is not rejecting Arsenal. Julian only wants to go to Barcelona. So that’s the reality. It’s not about Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Bayern, and PSG. Julian wants to go to Barcelona and this remains the position of the player.

“But Arsenal after the contact they had on Friday with Atletico Madrid meeting in London, Arsenal wanted to be informed by the player side in case something changes. So Arsenal’s message is ‘okay, we respect that the player is very expensive, but financially you can still try to find a way. We respect that the player wants to go to Barcelona’, but in case in the next eight days Julian changes mind and says, ‘Okay, I go to Arsenal.’ In that case, Arsenal want to get the information in order to re-enter the deal.

“So, keep an eye still on this situation. But at the moment, Julian position remains clear. He wants to go only to Barcelona.”

Is Julian Alvarez worth it for Arsenal?

Most Arsenal fans will probably be concerned about the team’s attack going into the new season, with Alvarez looking like someone who could bring something different.

Arsenal may have won the Premier League last season, but they scored a surprisingly low 71 goals, which was six fewer than runners-up Manchester City, and 15 fewer than Liverpool’s total when they won the title in 2024/25.

Viktor Gyokeres was slightly unconvincing in his first season at the Emirates Stadium, while Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus have had injury problems, so there’s surely room for a top talent like Alvarez.

The Argentina international has 49 goals in 106 games for Atletico Madrid, and has experience of playing in England during his time at Manchester City.

Still, even if Alvarez is one of the better options who looks realistically available at the moment, it’s debatable if he’s enough of an upgrade on what AFC currently have to justify the huge fee it would likely take to get the deal done.