Arsenal tipped to accelerate Julian Alvarez deal amid concerns about starter
Arsenal could accelerate a move to sign Julian Alvarez this summer after Viktor Gyokeres' inconsistent form in his first season at the club.
Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown tipped Arsenal to make an official move for the Argentine forward while speaking to Football Insider.
Gyokeres was widely dubbed as the answer to Arsenal's striker woes as he arrived for around £55million from Sporting CP.
The Swede impressed in parts as he helped the Gunners win the Premier League, but still went through patches of tough form and was benched for the Champions League final last month.
Atletico Madrid striker Alvarez is on the Gunners' radar as it stands, with a move away from the Spanish giants looking likely this summer.
He is a top target for Real Madrid and Barcelona, but Atletico do not want to sell the 26-year-old to a direct league rival and are keen to keep hold of him no matter who is interested.
Arsenal lining up Julian Alvarez approach as Viktor Gyokeres falters
Gyokeres scored three goals in his final 10 appearances of the last campaign, with 21 in 55 across all competitions.
Alvarez bagged 20 times in 52 appearances for Atleti, while also registering 10 assists, but recently insisted that he wants to leave the club after Real Madrid saw a £130m bid rejected.
“I don't think Arsenal solved that striking problem that they had. Gyokeres scored nearly twenty goals, didn't he? But he's not good enough. He's not the all-singing, all-dancing answer to Arsenal’s problems. Who is? What is?," Brown exclusively told Football Insider.
“You've got to have strikers who take part in build-up play, but then run in behind and do whatever is necessary. They're looking at Alvarez because he is a quality player and better [than Gyokeres].”
Which other stars are Arsenal trying to sign?
Mikel Arteta does not need to add loads of depth to his squad this summer, with some star quality needed to push them further ahead of their Premier League rivals.
With Alvarez on their radar, sources have also revealed to Football Insider that Arsenal are keen on Bradley Barcola and are ahead of Liverpool in the race for his services.
The Gunners are expected to bring in a new winger this summer, with Barcola's future up in the air after he struggled for regular minutes last season.
He registered 13 goals and eight assists in 55 appearances in 2025-26, but started on the bench in the Champions League semi-finals and final.