Arsenal's £104m Alvarez Bid Sparks Atletico Madrid Statement Over 'Months of Lies'

Fresh off being crowned Premier League champions and preparing for Saturday's Champions League final showdown with Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal appear to be plotting their summer business. The Gunners have earmarked attacking reinforcements as a priority despite last summer's £250m spending spree, with suggestions that Viktor Gyokeres' goal tally has left some wanting more, despite the Swede's crucial semi-final displays against Atletico Madrid.

That's where Julian Alvarez comes in. According to Spanish outlet El Desmarque, the Gunners have lodged a €120m (£104m) proposal during the Club World Cup window this summer. Barcelona, meanwhile, are reportedly readying an opening bid of €100m, with the Argentina international supposedly keen on a move.

But hold your horses. Journalist Ruben Uria has poured cold water on proceedings, telling El Desmarque: "This is 100% verified information. I can assure you that there is no official offer on the table from Atlético de Madrid. None whatsoever. Not from Barcelona, not from Paris Saint-Germain, not from Arsenal. Zero."

Atletico Madrid have now released a statement to newspaper Marca that amounts to a scathing rebuke of the entire saga. The club said: "There has been no offer for our player or any meeting. We are tired of months of lies, half-truths, harassment of our players in mixed zones, and absurd questions that are all part of a pre-arranged campaign. Julian is not for sale. There has been no offer for our player, nor any meeting. It's just agent talk. Julian has behaved impeccably at all times, giving his all on the pitch and demonstrating maximum professionalism. We know he didn't cause all this noise – he has always behaved perfectly."

Fabrizio Romano has suggested Barcelona are preparing their opening gambit nonetheless. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano indicated that Barcelona are internally discussing how to proceed with an Alvarez bid, with the proposal expected to land before the World Cup gets underway – potentially within days, and possibly following their completion of the Anthony Gordon transfer.