Arsenal make approach to sign £130m superstar

A year after signing for Arsenal, it would be safe to say that the jury is still out on Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres.

The centre forward is the definition of a marmite character. On the one hand, he finished as the Gunners’ top scorer in 2025/26 with 21 goals. He was the leading forward this term during their first Premier League title win in 22 years.

Yet, on the other hand, his general play leaves a lot to be desired. Compared to strikers in Europe’s top five leagues, the former Coventry City man ranks as lowly as the bottom 10% for successful dribbles and the bottom 73% for aerial duels won.

He simply cannot take players on and he also struggles to hold the ball up. There’s not a huge amount to like beyond the goalscoring.

As a result, it still feels like Mikel Arteta’s forward line is incomplete. It explains some of the links we’ve seen in the transfer window already.

Arsenal pushing to sign big-money striker

A year ago, Arsenal spent big-money to bring Gyokeres to the club but it hasn’t entirely gone to plan. As a result, a couple of strikers have already been touted with making the move to the Emirates Stadium this summer.

Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi is one player on their radar but the Cherries are in no mood to sell, reportedly valuing the young Frenchman at £80m-£100m.

Nonetheless, he’d be a brilliant signing. After all, this is one of the top young strikers in Europe. No teenager has ever scored more goals (13) in their debut Premier League season in history.

That said, a more proven centre-forward is on their shortlist and he goes by the name of Julian Alvarez.

Earlier this week, reports emerged suggesting that the Atletico Madrid striker is very keen on moving to north London if his dream move to Barcelona does not go through.

Real Madrid have already seen a £130m bid rejected for his services this summer with Atletico not willing to sell to a fellow LaLiga club.

It’s prompted Arsenal to advance their interest but until that situation with Barca is cleared up, a move feels unlikely.

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano who took to his YouTube channel to reveal the following: “Two clubs have also tried to enter the Julian Alvarez story trying to understand if the impasse between Barca and Atletico could open the doors for new possibilities.”

Romano continued: “One club is PSG. PSG have tried. Also Arsenal have made an approach to Alvarez and his camp but the answer from the player has been ‘thanks, but I want to go to Barcelona’. This is what Julian told Arsenal and PSG.”

Why Alvarez would be Arsenal’s best striker since Auba

Over the last few years, Arsenal have really struggled to find a consistent striker. Gyokeres may well have attracted plenty of criticism but he did finish the season as their highest scorer in a single season since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in 2019/20.

It’s just a pity, really, that Aubameyang left in the circumstances he did, stripped of the captaincy and told to pack his bags after an unsanctioned trip to Spain.

During his time at the Emirates, he was one of the best centre-forward the club have had in the modern era. His best campaign in front of goal saw him bag 31 times. No player at the Emirates has come close to replicating those sorts of figures.

He had raw pace and a devastating finishing ability to match the likes of Robin van Persie and Alexis Sanchez. Gyokeres is prolific in front of goal himself but unlike the others, does not have the all-round game to dominate in the Premier League.

In the form of Alvarez, they could well sign their next Aubameyang, their next ruthless centre-forward capable of registering a 30 goal season.

The Argentine has long been seen as one of the best strikers in European football and since moving to Atleti, he has only backed up those claims.

During his debut year in Madrid, the former Manchester City man scored as many as 29 times. Last season was a bit slower, netting on 20 occasions, but he still offered plenty in the build-up.

Compared to Gyokeres, that is one of the plus points of Alvarez’s game. He ranks among the top 20% of positionally similar players on the continent for successful dribbles, and among the top 6% for progressive actions. Like Aubameyang, he’s an incredibly direct player, even if he doesn’t quiet boast the same pace and acceleration.

Alvarez is actually worse than Gyokeres when it comes to aerial duels, ranking among the worst 3% but he does knit things together far better, sitting in the top 9% of strikers for expected threat in the build-up phases of play.

With his ability to play off the left, Auba was also particularly strong when it came to linking with his teammates so there is a real excitement here that Arsenal could acquire their best centre-forward since the Gabon international departed back in 2022.