Julian Alvarez has shown no interest in moving to Arsenal, a stance Mesut Ozil previously held before being persuaded to sign for the north London club by Arsene Wenger.
The Argentine forward has publicly expressed his wish to join Barcelona this summer but continues to be an Atletico Madrid player with fewer than two weeks remaining in the transfer window. Arsenal have maintained a longstanding admiration for the 26-year-old forward, with both Mikel Arteta and Andre Berta understood to be significant supporters of his abilities.
Atletico are reportedly willing to consider a player exchange with Arsenal that would send the Argentine to the Premier League champions in return for Victor Gyokeres, according to Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo. However, this potential arrangement lacks approval from Alvarez himself, as the player is said to be unwilling to return to English football two years after departing Manchester City.
Ozil faced a comparable situation at Real Madrid over a decade ago before ultimately completing his switch to Arsenal. Before his then-record £42.5million transfer on transfer deadline day in 2013, the German midfielder had no intention of leaving the Spanish powerhouse.
He had just completed one of his most productive seasons, netting 10 times and creating 25 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions. Despite his pivotal role in a Madrid side that included Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Angel Di Maria, Ozil sensed a lack of confidence from new manager Carlo Ancelotti, who had replaced Jose Mourinho in the summer of 2013.
Disillusioned with his situation, Ozil recounted in his autobiography that he reached out to one particular person when looking to leave Madrid. He explained that his departure from Real was the hardest decision he ever made, as he believed his story at the club was incomplete. He described a man with a calm manner, a possessive determination and insightful words who demonstrated genuine desire to sign him. According to Ozil, Wenger provided him with a far superior feeling compared to what Ancelotti had offered at Real. He chose a number he had stored in his phone since 2010, saying he had promised to contact Wenger first if he ever considered moving to another club, and now he was doing exactly that.
Upon joining Arsenal, Ozil cited Wenger’s faith in him as a key factor in his decision to leave Spain, stating that while he had been certain he would stay at Real over the weekend, he soon recognised neither the manager nor the club’s hierarchy had belief in him. He explained that he requires this kind of trust and felt it from Arsenal, which convinced him to make the move.
Arsenal began their Premier League title defence with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Coventry City during their pursuit of Alvarez. The champions secured all three points through strikes by Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard.