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Arsenal are leaving no stone unturned in their bid to sign a world-class attacker.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is said to be using his “last card” in an attempt to bring in Julian Alvarez.

Even after winning the Community Shield over the weekend, the Gunners are still keen to add another forward as they prepare to defend the Premier League title, with new signing Christos Tzolis having so far been the first-choice option on the left wing.

With players such as Vinicius Jr and Morgan Rogers having been linked with Arsenal this summer, the clock is ticking for the club to complete a major signing. Arteta has now reportedly become directly involved in an effort to bring Atletico Madrid star Julian Alvarez back to English football.

Alvarez had already been strongly linked with Arsenal earlier in the transfer window, with Arteta eager to recruit another elite attacker to compete with the options already at his disposal.

Although the Argentina international is capable of playing on the left, Viktor Gyokeres has not fully convinced some figures at the Emirates Stadium and has even been mentioned as a possible makeweight in any potential deal.

FourFourTwo understands that Alvarez’s top preference throughout has been Barcelona. However, with the Spanish champions unwilling to meet a nine-figure asking price, and Atletico preferring to sell Alvarez back to the Premier League, where he previously won a Treble with Manchester City, any move to Arsenal has been slow to gather momentum.

As per Spanish publication El Desmarque, Arteta has played his “last card” by personally calling the 26-year-old to explain his vision, although Alvarez is reported to have repeated that he would prefer a move to Camp Nou.

Atletico Madrid CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin has reportedly rejected a €150 million offer from city rivals Real Madrid, while Arsenal are also considering more realistic options such as Victor Osimhen and Kenan Yildiz in the remaining weeks of the transfer window.

Turkish outlet Gazete Pencere has reported that the Nigerian replied, “We’ll see”, when asked about a move away from Turkiye, though he is also attracting interest from the Saudi Pro League. Meanwhile, James McNicholas has reported in The Athletic that Arsenal are waiting to find out whether Yildiz becomes available.

Gyokeres has also been linked with both Barcelona and Atletico, with the Gunners potentially ready to cash in on the Swede after only a year.

With Arsenal looking to move on Brazilian pair Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli this summer, while also hoping to secure a pure profit sale for Ethan Nwaneri, there is clearly room for a major signing, although the number of elite-level left wingers still being linked with the club is limited.

There remains a chance that Martinelli stays, but with Arteta leaving the forward out of the matchday bench for Sunday’s Community Shield, it is reasonable to suggest that he is not currently part of the Basque manager’s immediate plans.

According to Transfermarkt, Alvarez is valued at €120m. Arsenal will begin their Premier League season against Coventry City.