Transfer Rumours: Arsenal hijack as 'way cleared' for Julian Alvarez deal

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Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

FootballTransfers runs through the biggest rumours and gossip from 14 June, including the latest updates on Julian Alvarez, Jeremy Monga and Alejandro Grimaldo.

Real Madrid leave Alvarez race

Real Madrid have left the race for Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez, Sport writes.

Los Blancos publicly announced on Tuesday that a €150 million bid for the Argentina international had been rejected by Atleti, and there has been radio silence ever since. Alvarez was reportedly unimpressed by this "charade" from Florentino Perez, who had promised a big-money offer during his presidential election campaign the week before.

It is believed that Real Madrid never stood a realistic chance of signing Alvarez anyway and that this was purely done so that Perez could say that he kept his promise. Whatever the case, Los Blancos have now "given up" on the striker, which has "cleared the way" for Barcelona, who remain Alvarez's preferred destination.

Monga hijack?

Brentford are looking to hijack Arsenal's proposed signing of Leicester City winger Jeremy Monga, The Times reports.

The 16-year-old will leave Leicester after turning down a professional contract and has been expected to sign for the Gunners for a couple of weeks now after reportedly deciding to pursue a move to North London.

However, due to the nature of the transfer - with Leicester owed compensation because of his age - discussions have not yet reached a conclusion, which has emboldened Brentford to attempt to swoop in.

Grimaldo to follow Alonso

Chelsea are among the clubs interested in Bayer Leverkusen defender Alejandro Grimaldo, fussballdaten claims.

The Spain international has made no secret of his desire to secure what may be the final big transfer of his career this summer, and with just a year left on his contract, Leverkusen may be forced to cash in on him for a fee in the region of €20m.

It is asserted that European giants are "queuing up" for Grimaldo, who has been one of the standout attackers in the Bundesliga in recent years - despite nominally being a left-back. His strong relationship with Xabi Alonso and the potential departure of Marc Cucurella could see him end up at Chelsea.

Anderson agreement expected

Man City are expected to reach an agreement with Nottingham Forest for the transfer of Elliot Anderson, according to talkSPORT.

A breakthrough in negotiations is believed to be close, with the two clubs not far apart on the valuation of the midfielder. Man City will make a third bid "in the coming weeks" after seeing their first two offers rebuffed by Evangelos Marinakis, who is exclusively leading the talks for Forest.

The second bid clocked in at around €139m, but Forest want to make Anderson a new Premier League record sale, which would require a fee of over €145m. Crucially, the player has informed all parties that he wants to join City.

Arsenal step up Bouaddi talks

Arsenal have intensified their pursuit of Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, as per Sacha Tavolieri.

The Gunners have been in touch with his entourage since January 2025, and they have managed to convince the Morocco international to consider a move to North London despite his personal preference being PSG. Mikel Arteta has promised him regular minutes.

Arsenal are now intensifying their efforts to sign him, with Lille expected to be receptive to offers of around €70m from England. They would prefer to sell Bouaddi to a club outside of France, not to a direct rival like PSG.

More transfer rumours

Man Utd are confident that Lewis Hall wants to join and are accelerating their efforts to sign the Newcastle full-back. (TEAMtalk)

Napoli have joined several Premier League clubs in the race to sign Celtic midfielder Arne Engels. (Tuttomercatoweb)

Man Utd have continued to monitor Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams after exploring a deal in the winter. (Daily Mail)

Barcelona have seen a "historic" bid for 18-year-old Australia international Lucas Herrington rejected by the Colorado Rapids. (The Sydney Morning Herald)

Liverpool and Leeds are scouting Midtjylland defender Lee Han-beom. (TEAMtalk)

The Chicago Fire are in talks to sign Robert Lewandowski and Leon Goretzka on free transfers. (The Athletic)

Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham have been alerted to the availability of Club Brugge defender Joel Ordonez. (CaughtOffside)

Real Madrid are in contact with Arsenal defenders Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie. (El Debate)

Atletico Madrid, Al-Hilal, Bayer Leverkusen and Man Utd are interested in signing Barcelona midfielder Marc Casado. (Mundo Deportivo)

Man City will allow James Trafford to join Newcastle if they can agree a deal to re-sign Pierce Charles from Sheffield Wednesday. (TEAMtalk)

Arsenal are exploring a deal to sign Club Brugge winger Christos Tzolis. (The Athletic)