Arsenal transfer news: Major "personal" Julian Alvarez update as Mikel Arteta and Barcelona circle for £103m target

Barcelona will do everything they can to sign Arsenal target Julian Alvarez in the January transfer window, the latest report has claimed.

The Gunners may have beaten Aston Villa on Monday to continue their winning start to the Premier League season, but fans are restless.

Mikel Arteta's side failed to sign a superstar attacker in the summer despite being linked to the likes of Morgan Rogers and Atletico Madrid's Alvarez.

The latter was reportedly pursued in the closing stages of the window, but Barcelona were said to be his preferred destination.

SPORT TV journalist David Bernabeu claimed that because Alvarez did everything he could to join Barca, the Catalan side have decided they must do everything they can in their power to sign him in the winter.

Julian Alvarez future: How much will Arsenal and Barcelona have to pay?

Alvarez is currently valued by Transfermarkt at just over £103m, though a move in the middle of the season would likely set buyers back significantly more than that figure.

If Arsenal were to sign the attacker, they would have to be prepared to break their own transfer record, which is currently the £105m that they paid West Ham United for Declan Rice in 2023.

Barca's record transfer is Philippe Coutinho, who joined from Liverpool in January 2018 for £142m, though a large portion of that fee consisted of add-ons.

Whether either party could pay the fee Atletico would demand remains to be seen, and it would not be surprising if Alvarez's future was resolved next summer instead.

Can Arsenal improve in attack in the Premier League?

There are genuine concerns about the quality in Arteta's forward line, especially after Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli were sold.

If the Gunners are to improve in attack, they will have to rely on Bukayo Saka, who scored just 11 non-penalty goals in the Premier League across 2024-25 and 2025-26.

However, the winger has already scored twice this season, and if he continues to contribute in the final third, perhaps the Londoners could better the 71 goals they tallied in last term.