Arsenal may have to give up on Julian Alvarez dream

Arsenal could be forced to end their pursuit of Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez as the Argentine reportedly prefers a permanent transfer to Barcelona. Football Insider reports that while Alvarez is open to leaving Atletico Madrid, the Emirates Stadium is not his chosen destination. This leaves Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta potentially needing to pursue alternative attacking options to address squad depth.

Alternative forward targets linked with Arsenal include Borussia Dortmund's Maximilian Beier and Inter Milan's Pio Esposito. Meanwhile, Arsenal face immediate squad concerns following a hamstring injury suffered by Kai Havertz on international duty with Germany ahead of their upcoming fixture against Leeds United.