Arsenal are counting on an element of surprise to “steal” the 100 million euro star from Barcelona
Article by Mihai Șovei – Published on Wednesday, 03 June 2026, 14:44 / Updated on Wednesday, 03 June 2026 14:51
Europe is witnessing a “war” on the transfer market, and in the main roles are Arsenal and Barcelonateams trying to get the signature of one of the world's top strikers. It is about the Argentine Julian Alvarez (26 years old), basic player in his attack Atletico Madrid.
Barcelona have tried to lure the Argentine to the Camp Nou and have reportedly sent an offer in excess of €90 million. However, on “Metropolitano” things do not seem to be going in favor of the Catalans. Atletico's management is prepared to do anything to stop Barcelona at all costs, and new Premier League champions Arsenal are taking full advantage of this situation.
The secret connection in London that can decide the transfer of Julian Alvarez
Mikel Arteta decided to destroy any hopes of the Catalans by activating a “secret weapon” that Barcelona simply do not have. The key man in this operation is Arsenal's new sporting director Andrea Berta.
Berta arrived in London last May from Atletico Madrid, where he worked for years with Diego Simeone. But the most important aspect is that Berta was the man who, two years ago, negotiated and completed the transfer of Alvarez from Manchester City to Atletico for 90 million euros, according to sportbible.com.
Now, a year after bringing Arsenal their first title in more than two decades, Berta is using his old connections in Madrid to complete the deal and bring Alvarez back to the Premier League.
Andrea Berta
Barcelona, further away from the transfer
For Barcelona, the situation is very complicated. While the Catalans dream of reinforcements and build complicated financial structures, such as the transfer of Anthony Gordon for 80 million, Atletico Madrid conveys that the transfer of Julian Alvarez will be very difficult to materialize.
Madrid want a sale abroad, specifically to Arsenal, because they know that the “gunners” have financial resources. Arsenal want another attacking boost alongside Viktor Gyokeres to attack on all four fronts next season, including the Champions League, where they were miserably beaten on penalties by PSG in the final a few days ago.
