Arsenal news: Julian Alvarez shuts down transfer speculation as 'Gunners target new £80m star'

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Mikel Arteta's Arsenal will have their sights set on a spot in the Champions League final as they prepare to face off against Atletico Madrid . The Gunners will contest the first leg of their semi-final in the Spanish capital tonight.

Arsenal have had a European campaign to remember, winning every game in the league phase before overcoming Bayer Leverkusen and Sporting CP to seal a place in the final four.

Now, Atletico are the only thing standing between the north London side and a first Champions League final since 2006 . Attempting to stop them will be Diego Simeone – and the manager's star striker, Julian Alvarez .

The former Manchester City man has been in dazzling form this season and continues to be linked with a move to Arsenal . After months of speculation, he has spoken out as Mirror Football brings you the latest from the Emirates.

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Alvarez has been linked with Arsenal since the beginning of the January window. Speculation had suggested that Arteta sees Alvarez as his top target ahead of the summer and a fee of £86million could be enough to seal his signature.

Manager Simeone has addressed these rumours numerous times, including before the game against the Gunners . A fee in excess of £120m is now expected to be Atletico's asking price.

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But the 26-year-old has seemingly grown frustrated with all of this conjecture and he said in his pre-Arsenal press conference as per Sport : "I try not to pay too much attention to everything that's said.

"New things come out every week, all kinds of new information. I try not to waste energy on that and focus on what we're doing here. I can't come out and clarify or deny everything that comes out. I try not to give too much importance to what's said on social media.

"It often starts to become a snowball of lies. I don't want to waste energy on this and I want to save it for things that help the team. We are focused on who we are today as a group, and we want to make history ourselves."

In terms of other transfer news involving the Gunners, talkSPORT reports that they are keeping close tabs on Bournemouth forward Eli Junior Kroupi.

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The Frenchman has bagged 11 top-flight goals this season at just 19 years of age and has already attracted a league of suitors. Both Liverpool and Manchester United' s names have been linked to Kroupi, as has Arsenal's.

Bournemouth parted with just £10m when they snapped Kroupi up from French side Lorient in February 2025, but more reports suggest his new price tag is far higher.

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