Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez has been told to snub a summer move to Arsenal in favour of joining their London rivals Chelsea instead.<\/p>\n
The Argentina international is one of Mikel Arteta\u2019s top transfer targets for the upcoming summer window, amid the Gunners\u2019 pursuit of a new centre forward, but Ally McCoist believes that Alvarez would be better served joining Chelsea.<\/p>\n
The former Manchester City striker has scored 17 goals and provided nine assists in 44 games for Atletico Madrid so far this season and he has been widely tipped to leave the Wanda Metropolitano this summer, despite the club’s \u20ac150 million asking price.<\/p>\n
In addition to Arsenal, Barcelona are also prioritising a move for Alvarez, as they look to sign a long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowski, while Chelsea have been tentatively tipped to enter into negotiations with the 26-year-old too.<\/p>\n
Liam Rosenior\u2019s side have already finalised a deal for Strasbourg striker Emmanuel Emegha to join the club in July, but Alvarez remains on their transfer radar following Liam Delap\u2019s struggles since arriving at Stamford Bridge from Ipswich Town last summer.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s understood that Chelsea are likely to prioritise signing a new centre-back and a new central midfielder this summer, but McCoist believes Alvarez would be tempted to join the Blues ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.<\/p>\n
Verdict: Julian Alvarez to join Chelsea?<\/h2>\n
Speaking to talkSPORT (via Metro)<\/b><\/a> about Alvarez and a potential summer move to Arsenal, McCoist admitted: \u201cI think he\u2019s got a better chance of playing more regularly at Chelsea, to tell you the truth, than he would at Arsenal.<\/p>\n \u201cThe squad at Arsenal is phenomenal. They\u2019re playing Kai Havertz, sometimes as a false nine, Gabriel Jesus is through the middle, and Leandro Trossard has played there.<\/p>\n \u201cAlvarez is a real talent. As I say, it would surprise me to see him coming back. But in terms of where he went, I think he\u2019d probably get more game time. And you know something? Chelsea might appeal to him because of that, because of those factors you\u2019ve mentioned, particularly the one about a young side with a lot of potential\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cYou look at the size of Arsenal\u2019s squad, it\u2019s absolutely massive. So, he\u2019s probably got a better chance of getting more regular playing time with Chelsea.\u201d<\/p>\n If Arsenal are unable to finalise a deal for Alvarez, they are expected to intensify their pursuit of Club Brugge\u2019s Nicolo Tresoldi or Bayer Leverkusen\u2019s Christian Kofane, who have both been heavily linked with an Emirates Stadium switch in recent weeks.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, FootballTransfers understands that Arteta is also interested in signing Newcastle United trio Valentino Livramento, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon this summer.<\/p>\n EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal ready Anthony Gordon bid as Arteta targets English core<\/b><\/p>\n Transfer Rumours: Chelsea signing approved as Man Utd double deal eyed<\/b><\/p>\n Real Madrid identify Enzo Fernandez ‘Plan B’ signing<\/b><\/p>\n \u20ac50m Arsenal transfer hinges on two key factors<\/b><\/p>\n Luka Vuskovic sends clear Chelsea message: ‘After this season…’<\/b><\/p>\n Check out FootballTransfers’ new app for all of football’s big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.<\/p>\n The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:<\/p>\nFootball transfer news headlines today<\/h2>\n
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