Arsenal failed in shock last-ditch move for £73m forward as Julian Alvarez alternative

Arsenal attempted to sign a surprise alternative to Julian Alvarez in the closing stages of the transfer window, it has been claimed.

The Gunners ended the transfer window with five new signings, but none on Deadline Day, as Christos Tzolis, Bruno Guimaraes, Piero Hincapie and Ezri Konsa all arrived, while Illan Meslier joined on a free transfer.

Mikel Arteta successfully added depth to his defence and midfield, but despite acquiring a new left winger in Tzolis, the Spaniard ended the window with a weaker attack than he started the summer with.

Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus all left the Emirates Stadium, and although Jesus was barely utilised towards the end of his Arsenal career, Trossard and Martinelli shared minutes on the left flank.

To fix their depth issues, Arteta desperately wanted to add a game-changer to his forward line. At first, they were keen on signing Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa, though he joined Chelsea instead after they were unwilling to pay £117 million for the 24-year-old.

Arsenal then tried an ambitious move for Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr and were willing to break the bank for the Brazilian before he agreed a lucrative six-year extension with Los Blancos until 2032.

That then led to their pursuit of Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez, who made it clear that he wanted to depart the Metropolitano Stadium this summer and was met with a chorus of boos from fans for that stance in the 2-2 draw against Villarreal.

But Arsenal failed to sign the Argentine international, as he preferred a dream move to Barcelona instead of returning to the Premier League, although a switch to their LaLiga rivals was blocked by Atletico CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin.

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Arsenal tried to sign Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez

Atleti placed a reported £128 million asking price on Alvarez, and ultimately, the Gunners' chase for the 26-year-old was deemed unrealistic as he had his heart set on Barca.

The Premier League champions continued to try and sign a big name after missing out on the World Cup winner and, according to the Daily Mail, Arsenal's assistant Gabriel Heinze reached out to Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez over a potential move last week.

But Inter 'refused to entertain any kind of deal' for their captain, who is valued at around £73 million with three years left on his current contract.

Martinez is still one of Europe's most prolific strikers, scoring 22 goals in all competitions last season to help clinch his side the Serie A title.

In total, the 29-year-old has plundered 175 goals in 378 games for Inter and would have been a huge upgrade on their current options.

Kai Havertz is Arteta's first-choice striker, and he began the campaign with a goal against Coventry City, but the German isn't an out-and-out centre-forward like Martinez.

Viktor Gyokeres, meanwhile, is second in the pecking order and, perhaps surprisingly, has played zero minutes in their opening two Premier League games, which is surely a sign of Arteta not trusting the Swede and why he was actively looking to sign a striker.