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Arsenal stunned as €150m striker told to join Chelsea
Cameron Smith
- Updated: 5 Apr 2026 15:48 BST
- 4 min read
News
Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez has been told to snub a summer move to Arsenal in favour of joining their London rivals Chelsea instead.
The Argentina international is one of Mikel Arteta’s top transfer targets for the upcoming summer window, amid the Gunners’ pursuit of a new centre forward, but Ally McCoist believes that Alvarez would be better served joining Chelsea.
Current ETV
Julián Alvarez
F (C)
Atlético Madrid
Julián Alvarez
F (C)
Atlético Madrid
ETV Range
€104.7M - €127.9M
The former Manchester City striker has scored 17 goals and provided nine assists in 44 games for Atletico Madrid so far this season and he has been widely tipped to leave the Wanda Metropolitano this summer, despite the club's €150 million asking price.
In addition to Arsenal, Barcelona are also prioritising a move for Alvarez, as they look to sign a long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowski, while Chelsea have been tentatively tipped to enter into negotiations with the 26-year-old too.
Liam Rosenior’s side have already finalised a deal for Strasbourg striker Emmanuel Emegha to join the club in July, but Alvarez remains on their transfer radar following Liam Delap’s struggles since arriving at Stamford Bridge from Ipswich Town last summer.
It’s understood that Chelsea are likely to prioritise signing a new centre-back and a new central midfielder this summer, but McCoist believes Alvarez would be tempted to join the Blues ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.
Verdict: Julian Alvarez to join Chelsea?
Speaking to talkSPORT (via Metro) about Alvarez and a potential summer move to Arsenal, McCoist admitted: “I think he’s got a better chance of playing more regularly at Chelsea, to tell you the truth, than he would at Arsenal.
“The squad at Arsenal is phenomenal. They’re playing Kai Havertz, sometimes as a false nine, Gabriel Jesus is through the middle, and Leandro Trossard has played there.
“Alvarez is a real talent. As I say, it would surprise me to see him coming back. But in terms of where he went, I think he’d probably get more game time. And you know something? Chelsea might appeal to him because of that, because of those factors you’ve mentioned, particularly the one about a young side with a lot of potential…
“You look at the size of Arsenal’s squad, it’s absolutely massive. So, he’s probably got a better chance of getting more regular playing time with Chelsea.”
If Arsenal are unable to finalise a deal for Alvarez, they are expected to intensify their pursuit of Club Brugge’s Nicolo Tresoldi or Bayer Leverkusen’s Christian Kofane, who have both been heavily linked with an Emirates Stadium switch in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, FootballTransfers understands that Arteta is also interested in signing Newcastle United trio Valentino Livramento, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon this summer.
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