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News
- 2 hours ago
Julian Alvarez closer to Arsenal after €70m Barcelona decision
Tom Weber
- 26 Mar 2026 05:04 GMT
- 4 min read
News
Arsenal have been handed a significant boost in the race to sign Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez, as Barcelona have outlined their budget for the Argentine.
The former Man City star is a priority target for numerous European giants. While Atletico Madrid are the favourites to win this season's Copa del Rey, Alvarez is supposedly frustrated with the club's lack of competitiveness in major competitions.
As a result, the prevailing narrative is that the 26-year-old will be on the move this summer. Atleti, of course, insist that he is going nowhere. After all, he is their star striker, and they invested €75 million on him, potentially rising to as high as €95m.
Current ETV
Julián Alvarez
F (C)
Atlético Madrid
Julián Alvarez
F (C)
Atlético Madrid
ETV Range
€116.3M - €142.2M
Barcelona have earmarked the Argentina international as their priority target to replace Robert Lewandowski, who is expected to leave the club when his contract expires after this season. Arsenal and Chelsea have also been linked with a move for Alvarez.
It is understood that Alvarez would prefer to move to Catalunya, but there are major question marks over Barcelona's ability to finance a deal. Indeed, it seems that they are unlikely to do so.
Barcelona's Alvarez budget
According to Sport, the best-case scenario for Barcelona is that they will be able to spend €130 million this summer. However, this budget is to be split for two signings.
This is quite problematic, as it is possible that Alvarez alone could command a fee like that. The Barcelona-linked outlet, however, goes with a more conservative estimation of "over €80m."
Barcelona's internal limit for the striker is €70m, though, meaning that they are likely to fall well short of Atleti's asking price. The remaining €60m of the budget is to be spent on a centre-back, with Inter's Alessandro Bastoni the top target for that position.
All of this is before taking a deal for Marcus Rashford into account. Barcelona want to keep the Man Utd loanee at the club, but they will have to pay €30m to do so, further complicating the matter.
Unsurprisingly, the LaLiga giants are exploring potential Alvarez alternatives. One name that is now gaining traction is Omar Marmoush, who is not always a guaranteed starter at Man City and who, it is claimed, could be available for a more affordable €50m.
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