Barcelona still interested in Atletico's Alvarez, says Laporta

Arsenal have made a significant step towards signing Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez, as revealed by AS. The London-based club has long been interested in Alvarez, an Argentine international who was part of two World Cup finals. Last year, Arsenal spent £64 million on Viktor Gyokeres, who scored 21 goals in his first season at the Emirates Stadium and played a key role in the team's Premier League and Champions League triumph.

The Gunners believe that Alvarez could be an excellent addition to his already impressive squad. Alvarez has scored 49 goals in his first two years at Atletico Madrid, following a successful stint at Manchester City, where he won back-to-back Premier League titles. Initially, Atletico refused to allow Alvarez to leave the club. However, last summer, other top teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona showed interest, but Atletico turned down their offers, including a significant £130 million bid.

Recently, it was reported that Atletico has reconsidered their stance and is now willing to sell Alvarez to Arsenal, exclusively, and not to any other La Liga rivals. The main hurdle for Arsenal was Alvarez's desire to join Barcelona. However, according to Spanish outlet AS, the forward has softened his stance and is no longer completely against moving to north London.

Despite this, Alvarez still favors Barcelona, but he has not completely ruled out Arsenal and is intrigued by Mikel Arteta's vision for the team. During Atletico Madrid's recent match against Villarreal, Alvarez received a hostile welcome from the crowd, with fans chanting for him to leave the club forever. Following the game, Alvarez quickly exited the tunnel.