Fabrizio Romano backs reports as Arsenal target £126m striker

Reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano has backed reports that Arsenal are interested in signing a £126 million centre-forward, with the north Londoners desperate to bring in a world-class goalscorer this summer.

Arsenal’s striker shortlist for Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta’s current striker shortlist appears to have two main faces on it as things stand – Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres and RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko.

Arsenal have held “concrete talks” over a deal for Sesko, as per Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, while some reports in Portugal are even claiming that Gyokeres has received a five-year contract offer from the Gunners.

The former ended 2024/2025 with 21 goals in all competitions for Leipzig, bettering last season’s tally of 18, while Gyokeres’ sublime campaign saw him net 54 strikes in 52 appearances.

If signed, either man would spark major excitement among the fanbase, and especially after Arsenal’s struggles to find the net consistently enough throughout 2024/2025 in comparison to the previous two seasons.

Arteta especially wants Arsenal to complete a deal for Sesko, while new sporting director Andrea Berta is reported to be more of a fan of Gyokeres (Simon Phillips), so it remains to be seen which number nine they eventually agree upon.

However, they do have other targets on their shortlist, and one of them is Atlético Madrid star Julian Alvarez.

The Argentine has won nearly everything there is to win despite being just 25-years-old, and he’s fresh off the back of a fantastic debut season at Atlético. Alvarez bagged 29 goals and seven assists in 54 appearances across all competitions last season, perhaps justifying Berta’s decision to reportedly insert a £126 million release clause into his contract when he was their director.

It was in fact Berta who signed Alvarez for the La Liga side from Man City in 2024, to the tune of around £82 million, but he’s now understandably attracting interest from the Premier League again.

Fabrizio Romano says Arsenal are keen on Julian Alvarez

Spanish newspaper Marca and journalist David Medina reported earlier this week that Arsenal are one of the favourites to sign Alvarez in their pursuit of a new striker.

When asked about these reports involving the Gunners and Alvarez, speaking in a GiveMeSport newsletter, the ever-reliable Romano suggested that there is some weight to this information.

Romano states it is “true” Arsenal are interested in signing Alvarez, but the problem lies in Atlético’s willingness to sell, with Diego Simeone’s side determined to keep thier star striker and Berta very unlikely to trigger his mammoth rumoured release clause.

“Atletico Madrid absolutely want to keep Julian,” said Romano when asked if Alvarez was a target for Arsenal and Liverpool, as has been suggested.

“There’s interest from Premier League, it’s true for sure but Atléti insist on keeping him.”

The South American has his credentials as a prolific goalscorer and big-game player. It is also hard to remember Alvarez ever having a bad game for City, with Erling Haaland’s presence arguably the only reason he never quite got a consistent run in the striker role under Pep Guardiola.

Alvarez’s start to life at Atlético puts his quality beyond all doubt, and he’d almost certainly upgrade Arteta’s options. However, he doesn’t appear to be going anywhere any time soon.