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Arsenal are working to secure the signing of Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez before the start of pre-season, as competition for the Argentine star appears to have cooled in recent weeks.

The 26-year-old finally made his mark at this World Cup on Sunday morning, netting a stunning long-range curling strike in extra time to seal Argentina’s 3-1 victory over Switzerland.

Ironically, Alvarez’s superb performance comes at a time when his potential transfer options seem to have narrowed due to off-field politics. While the forward is open to a move to Arsenal, his initial preference was to remain in Spain and join either Barcelona or Real Madrid.

However, Atletico Madrid are adamant that they will not sell him to their domestic rivals, a stance that has been made clear through a series of pointed social media posts. The club has been frustrated by the public campaigns run by both Barcelona and Real Madrid to attract the player.

Paris Saint-Germain had also shown prior interest in Alvarez, but that approach was reportedly more about assessing the market situation as they explore multiple attacking options this summer.

These overlapping factors have contributed to delays in several major transfer deals across Europe, with Alvarez’s situation illustrating the complexity of negotiations during a busy post-World Cup window.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has identified Alvarez as his primary attacking target for some time. Yet, given the challenges of negotiating with Atletico, the club has also explored other possibilities. One of those is PSG’s promising youngster Bradley Barcola. Arsenal had received encouraging signals that a move could be feasible as the Qatar-owned club plan an attacking reshuffle, though PSG are still keen to retain Barcola’s services.

The picture could shift once the post-World Cup transfer market stabilises, but at present, Arsenal are focused on pushing through the Alvarez deal.

A key sticking point remains the valuation: Arsenal are reluctant to exceed £90 million, while Atletico Madrid are holding out for a figure above £100 million.

The negotiations are further complicated by the fact that Arsenal’s sporting director Andrea Berta is in talks with his former club, adding another layer of familiarity and complexity to the process.

Meanwhile, Arsenal remain optimistic about completing the transfer of Morgan Rogers, although the World Cup has caused further delays to what was already a drawn-out process.