Arsenal could sacrifice two first-team stars to land Julian Alvarez before deadline

Arsenal could use two of their first-team stars as leverage to sign Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez.

The Argentine has expressed his desire to leave Atleti this summer and was booed by his own supporters at the Metropolitano Stadium on Sunday during their 2-2 draw against Villarreal, sparking further speculation about his immediate future at the club.

Alvarez wants to secure a dream move to Barcelona and continue playing in LaLiga, but his current club have already shut down that possibility.

Atletico Madrid released a scathing statement on Wednesday, claiming there is a 'zero per cent chance' that the 26-year-old moves to the Camp Nou after Barca president Joan Laporta openly said on video that the club is standing by their "proposal" and wants to "reach an agreement" over a transfer.

Arsenal are now the only contender in the race to sign the former Manchester City forward, but would have to smash their transfer record to land his signature. According to several reports, Atleti want around £128 million for Alvarez, and there are suggestions that the Gunners would be willing to pay it.

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Unfortunately, the problem Mikel Arteta has is agreeing on personal terms with the Argentine, though there is one advantage they have in the race.

Atletico are already looking to bolster their attack and have been linked to multiple players, with the Independent revealing that Arsenal could sanction a potential swap deal to land their dream target.

The report claims that both forwards Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Jesus are 'appealing' to the Spanish side, and there is a 'possibility' that Gyokeres and cash could be offered to 'greatly smooth' any deal.

Arteta is also willing to play Alvarez in his preferred position - a prospect that appeals to the forward - after a campaign where Diego Simeone deployed him in an unusual role.

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Earlier in August, Gyokeres was linked to Barcelona as a possible replacement for Robert Lewandowski - who left on a free transfer in June - while being a possible alternative for Alvarez.

The Swedish international only joined the Gunners from Sporting Lisbon in a deal worth up to £64m last summer, and he has certainly divided opinion following the switch.

Gyokeres hit 21 goals in all competitions last term, but many supporters questioned whether he truly fits into Arteta's style, with Kai Havertz being identified as the more complete option.

Arteta started with Havertz in the 3-0 victory over Coventry City on Friday night, and the German repaid him with a goal, while Gyokeres was an unused substitute.

Jesus, meanwhile, was wanted by Serie A side Napoli, but the out-of-favour forward turned down a switch to Italy and instead prefers to move elsewhere.

The 29-year-old is identified as a player likely to leave the Emirates before the deadline following his injury struggles, as his minutes under Arteta are limited.

His Brazilian teammate, Gabriel Martinelli, is even closer to sealing a move out of north London, with Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal edging towards striking a £50m agreement.

Martinelli had initially been keen to stay at Arsenal and turned down a move to Turkey amid interest from Galatasaray. However, honest discussions with Arteta over his position in the squad have left the 25-year-old more open to leaving.