David Ornstein provides fascinating Arsenal transfer update amid Julian Alvarez rumours

Arsenal are still plugging away in the transfer market, looking for an opportunity to sign an attacker, but there are no guarantees at this point in the window.

The Gunners have endured a somewhat frustrating summer in terms of their pursuit of a superstar forward. Morgan Rogers was snatched from them by an astronomical offer from Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain have seemingly priced everyone out of signing Bradley Barcola, and Vinicius Junior signed a new contract at Real Madrid.

To top this off, Julian Alvarez remains obsessed with the idea of signing for Barcelona, despite Atletico Madrid desperately offering the Argentine to Arsenal.

It looks increasingly unlikely that the Gunners will get what they want, although transfer guru David Ornstein has provided an interesting update, describing Arsenal's circumstances as a 'situation to watch' in the days ahead.

David Ornstein provides Arsenal transfer update ahead of the final week of the window

Christos Tzolis arrived earlier this summer as Leandro Trossard's replacement, as the Belgian left the Gunners for Besiktas. The expectation following this like-for-like swap was that Arsenal would then add a world-class winger in place of Gabriel Martinelli, who is on the verge of signing for Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal.

However, speaking on the Athletic FC Podcast on Tuesday, Ornstein revealed that this might not ultimately be the case. He did, however, suggest that because Arsenal were prepared to fork out enormous sums to bring Vinicius to the Emirates, there is likely money to spend, and that the situation is still worthy of keeping an eye on.

"You could say Christos Tzolis replaced Leandro Trossard, so who’s going to replace Gabriel Martinelli?" he said.

"You suspect Arsenal remain active in the market, whether it’s Julian Alvarez or somebody else, but we don’t have any firm information on whether they will do something.

“The fact they were prepared to fund Vinicius Junior, which would have been extortionate, suggests in the absence of that, there is some finance to do something and that’s why they could do an Alvarez, but if it’s not right, they’re not going to.

“That’s a situation to watch in these days ahead, with no guarantee of how it will finish.”

Ornstein's words certainly offer encouragement to Arsenal fans. Finances aren't holding the Gunners back; it's merely a question of whether a suitable player becomes available for the right price, which is exactly how the Gunners ought to be operating, rather than signing a player for the sake of it.

The journalist added that the Alvarez deal and Martinelli's future are not interlinked, and that the former Manchester City man is still opposed to a move to the Emirates.

“Gabriel Martinelli’s future does NOT directly impact Arsenal’s interest in Julian Alvarez," he explained.

"The Alvarez interest has been long-term & is ongoing, but it’s incredibly complex. Atletico would do a deal with Arsenal at around €150m.

"Alvarez is NOT keen on a return to the Premier League, he only wants Barcelona. We’ve heard talk of him softening his stance, but we need concrete indications that he would be willing to join Arsenal, or it appears he’ll stay at Atletico."

Add us as a preferred source on Google