Arsenal 'remain intent' on Alvarez move with Gyokeres swap mooted

Credit: Getty Images

Arsenal's pursuit of Julian Alvarez has not gone away, with fresh reports suggesting Mikel Arteta could revisit a move for the Atletico Madrid forward in January, this time with Viktor Gyokeres potentially heading the other way.

Arsenal missed out on Alvarez in the summer after the Argentine pushed for a move to Barcelona, only for bad blood between Atletico and their La Liga rivals to scupper any deal. According to Sport, Arteta remains intent on landing the 26-year-old and would be willing to consider a swap arrangement involving Gyokeres.

The Swedish striker has struggled to make an impact since his move from Sporting CP, failing to score in six appearances across all competitions this season and finding himself out of favour in Arteta's preferred starting line-up. Alvarez, meanwhile, has endured his own difficult start to the campaign at Atletico, managing just 173 minutes of football amid muscular issues and the lingering fallout from his failed summer exit. Spanish reports on Saturday suggested Atletico are now giving serious thought to letting him leave in January.

Merino's future addressed by his father

Elsewhere, Mikel Merino's long-term future at Arsenal has come under scrutiny after comments from his father, Miguel. The midfielder has played a largely peripheral role for the Gunners this season despite helping Spain win the World Cup over the summer.

Speaking on Goles con Parrado, Miguel Merino was asked whether his son could consider a return to La Liga. He suggested that any move back to Spain would likely need to come with Champions League football attached to keep his son motivated, while also stressing that Mikel remains in a comfortable position at Arsenal.

'If he comes to La Liga, well, I suppose he'll want to continue in that rhythm of competing in the Champions League and keeping that motivation, but obviously he's in a comfortable situation there at Arsenal, isn't he? Because he's experiencing exactly what he wanted when he left Real Sociedad,' Miguel said.

Arsenal signed Merino from Real Sociedad for around £27million, and when asked why Real Madrid never pursued him, his father was quick to defend his son's quality. 'I think he's a player who's at Arsenal and has won the Premier League, has reached the Champions League final, he got to the semi-finals last year. He's part of a world class squad, so he's a world class player,' he added.

Context for Arteta

The comments arrive at a notable moment, with Arsenal having just come from behind to beat Leeds 2-1, a result that leaves them level on points with league leaders Manchester City. Squad depth and rotation decisions will continue to be scrutinised as the season progresses, particularly in attack and midfield, where both Gyokeres and Merino currently find themselves fighting for regular minutes.

January remains some way off, but both storylines look set to develop further before the winter window opens.