Arsenal transfer news LIVE: Julian Alvarez twist, Iliman Ndiaye interest, latest updates today

Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live Arsenal transfer news blog on Thursday, August 27!

The Gunners will soon find out their opponents for the 2026-27 Champions League league phase when the draw takes place on Thursday evening, but will they begin their next European campaign with or without Julian Alvarez?

Stay entirely up to date with the latest Arsenal done deals and rumours with our social-led live blog below!

Arsenal transfer news today: What's happening on August 27?

The Julian Alvarez saga produced its most dramatic chapter yet on August 26, with Atletico Madrid releasing a statement confirming there is a "0% chance" of selling the Argentina striker to Barcelona this summer, describing the situation as a matter of "dignity" rather than finance.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta had acknowledged his club's intent to sign Alvarez, revealing he had spoken directly with Atletico CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin, only for Atletico to publicly announce that no sale to the Catalan club would occur under any circumstances.

Atletico added: "They have harmed us economically and socially. There is 0% chance of selling him to Barca. There is a campaign of many lies and half-truths."

The player himself has been caught in the storm, booed by large sections of the Atletico crowd after coming off the bench in a 2-2 draw with Villarreal, and subsequently directed by the club to leave through the tunnel without going near the stands.

Diego Simeone acknowledged the club had made that decision on Alvarez's behalf, though stopped short of expressing any personal view on his future.

Alvarez was absent from training on Wednesday citing illness, adding to the extraordinary tension surrounding a player who has scored 49 goals and contributed 17 assists in 107 appearances for the club.

Arsenal remain interested in the 26-year-old, though the player is understood to prefer a move within Spain and specifically to Barcelona, meaning Arsenal's prospects are dependent on that route remaining blocked.

A separate confirmed development is Gabriel Martinelli's impending departure, with the final fee for a sale to Al-Hilal now reported to have been revealed and an agreement between the two clubs getting closer following an improved Saudi bid, with Arteta said to be actively searching for a replacement winger.

One such successor could be Everton's Iliman Ndiaye, whom Arsenal are understood to have taken a firm interest in.