Arsenal are still dreaming of bringing Atletico Madrid’s superstar forward Julian Alvarez to the Emirates, but a major development could make that even more difficult.

It was no big secret that Mikel Arteta had made the Argentine international his top target over the summer, but Arsenal were ultimately unable to sign him.

Arsenal’s need for more firepower up front has arguably increased since then, with Viktor Gyokeres struggling for form and constantly being linked with moves away.

The Gunners would still jump at the chance to sign Alvarez, but the major problem they’ve faced is that the ex-Manchester City man wants to join Barcelona.

Now, according to reports from Spain, as cited by Sport Witness, Alvarez is close to appointing Pablo Barquero as his new agent, after he parted ways with his old representative, Fernando Hidalgo, who had been his agent since he was 15.

Initially, Javier Pastore, who represents Enzo Fernandez, looked highly likely to replace Hidalgo. The former Argentina international was in ‘advanced talks’ with Alvarez, but in a surprise twist, there’s been a change of direction.

The 26-year-old and his family are said to be ‘particularly impressed by Barquero, with an agreement expected to be formalised soon.’ There are some interesting reasons behind Alvarez’s decision, too.

He already knows Barquero from his time in Manchester, as he represents his former teammate, Rodri. Crucially, that means that Barquero already has an excellent relationship with Rodri’s new club, Barcelona.

The suggestion is that this could help facilitate Alvarez’s dream switch to the Camp Nou.

Arsenal ready to sell Gyokeres to sign Alvarez

Missing out on Alvarez once again would come as a blow to Arsenal, given they reportedly have a plan in place for how they can facilitate his arrival.

It recently emerged the Atletico star’s price tag has dropped to €120million (£101.5m / $134.7m), significantly lower than the €150million (£126.8m / $168.3m) fee floated over the summer.

Reports also suggest that Arsenal would be willing to to sell Gyokeres in order to help fund a move for Alvarez in the January transfer window.

The Gunners are said to have placed a £64million price tag on the Swede, so that sale would, in theory, help pay for more than half of Alvarez’s transfer.

However, all the signs point towards Alvarez waiting for a move to Barcelona at this stage.

His prospective new agent’s connections with Barcelona are likely a key reason why he is close to partnering up with him.

The question of whether Barcelona can afford to sign him mid-season remains a big one, though.