Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has identified Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez as the ideal signing to help the Gunners reach the next level and secure their maiden UEFA Champions League title. Speaking to talkSPORT, Keown highlighted that the 26-year-old is a player the club had already scouted last season. Despite interest from Barcelona, Atletico Madrid CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin has maintained that the Argentine forward is not for sale, having already rejected offers from the Catalan club.
Alvarez brings significant Premier League experience from his time at Manchester City, where he recorded 36 goals and 19 assists while creating 130 chances across 103 appearances. While Arsenal has also been linked with Victor Osimhen of Galatasaray, PSG’s Bradley Barcola, and Kenan Yildiz, Keown insists that Alvarez remains the standout option for Mikel Arteta’s squad. This pursuit comes after the club failed to land Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior, who recently signed an extension keeping him at the Santiago Bernabeu until 2032.
Arsenal’s current squad has already seen significant reinforcement, with the arrivals of Bruno Guimaraes, Christos Tzolis, Illan Meslier, and the permanent acquisition of Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen. These new additions made an immediate impact during the 3-0 Community Shield victory over Manchester City in Cardiff on August 16. The club is looking to build on a historic Champions League campaign where they became the first side to win all nine of their league phase matches in the competition’s current format.
The Gunners’ European journey saw them eliminate Bayer Leverkusen, Sporting CP, and Atletico Madrid to reach their first final since 2006. However, they narrowly missed out on the trophy in a penalty shootout against Paris Saint-Germain. After Kai Havertz opened the scoring in the sixth minute, Ousmane Dembele equalized from the spot to force a 4-3 shootout loss, which saw misses from Eberechi Eze and Gabriel. With these high-stakes experiences behind them, Keown believes adding a proven winner like Alvarez could be the catalyst for future European success. The report also notes that alvarez, 26, has expressed a desire to join Barcelona, but the Rojiblancos have reportedly rejected offers from the Blaugrana as well as Rojiblancos, whose CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin has proclaimed that the Argentine isn.
