Julian Alvarez Premier League transfer bombshell drops just hours after goal in Argentina game

Julian Alvarez stole the show with a glorious curling strike to put Argentina back into the lead in their World Cup quarter-final against Switzerland on Saturday.

Argentina finally put the tie to bed in extra time in Kansas City after squandering the lead given to them early in the game by Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister.

Switzerland were down to 10 men by the end of normal time and Alvarez broke the deadlock when his right-footed shot whipped across Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and into the top corner.

It was Alvarez's second goal of the competition and put the 2022 winners into a commanding position before Lautaro Martinez sealed their win in stoppage time.

Argentina will play England in the semi-finals in Atlanta on Wednesday with players from both teams playing through the potential distraction of summer transfer speculation.

Former River Plate and Manchester City star Alvarez is one of those players. During the World Cup group stage, the Atletico Madrid forward confirmed that he wishes to leave the Metropolitano in favour of a new challenge and better title prospects.

While there has been widely reported interest from Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid, Alvarez's situation has been complicated by Atleti's refusal to sell within Spain.

The 26-year-old has four years left on his contract, meaning his club have a significant amount of power when it comes to holding off unwanted interest.

Atletico can afford to be picky about buying clubs without necessarily shutting the door entirely on what they will hope is a lucrative sale.

Premier League champions Arsenal have been linked with Alvarez for months. According to a fresh report, the Gunners could yet come out on top thanks to Atletico's apparent willingness to stand firm in the face of more local attentions.

"Arsenal are attempting to get a deal for Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez done before pre-season, as competition for the player looks to have regressed," reports The Independent.

"Alvarez is open to an Arsenal move but his preference had been to stay in Spain, with either Barcelona or Real Madrid.

"Atletico are nevertheless insistent on not selling to either of their rivals, as reflected in a series of spiky social media posts.

"They have been aggravated with the public nature of the campaigns both clubs have used."

It is believed that the two clubs remain some distance apart on the matter of the transfer fee, with Arsenal reportedly limiting their outlay to £90 million but Atleti looking for more than £100 million to get the deal done.

Alvarez's immediate focus is on the World Cup

Argentina's World Cup defence under head coach Lionel Scaloni has experienced highs and lows over the last six matches.

Eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi has been responsible for virtually all of their milestone moments in the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer but Alvarez's goal against Switzerland was a crucial addition to the list.

Messi will face England for the first time this week but his younger teammate is already familiar with Argentina's next opposition thanks to his time in the Premier League.

If Mikel Arteta and Arsenal get their way, he might be in line to return.

"The situation may well change again when the dust settles on a chaotic World Cup, but Arsenal are currently pushing on Alvarez," adds the report.