Arsenal's Transfer Ambitions: Trossard Out, Barcola and Álvarez In?

Leandro Trossard’s time at Arsenal is over. The Belgian, scorer of a string of crucial goals in last season’s title run, has been moved on to Besiktas, a quiet but telling decision that says plenty about where Mikel Arteta wants to take his squad next.

One wide forward gone. Another under the microscope.

Gabriel Martinelli, once untouchable in the eyes of many Arsenal supporters, is no longer guaranteed a central role in Arteta’s long-term plans. The Brazilian’s future is suddenly a live topic at a club that knows it must be ruthless to stay ahead. A sale is firmly on the table as Arsenal look to clear wages, open space in the squad and reload for another assault on domestic and European honours.

Arteta’s staff know exactly where they can still go up a level. The wide attacking positions, so crucial to the way Arsenal stretch and suffocate opponents, are being scrutinised. The aim is simple: find upgrades that can tilt tight games in the Premier League and, crucially, in the Champions League, where the margins cut deepest and the Gunners still feel the sting of last season’s exit.

Barcola on the radar

One name keeps surfacing in those conversations: Bradley Barcola.

The PSG winger lit up the World Cup alongside Kylian Mbappé and Michael Olise, then returned to club duty and helped slam the door on Arsenal’s Champions League dreams as the French champions secured back-to-back European crowns in 2025-26. Arsenal saw his quality at close quarters. They did not enjoy the experience.

Yet for all his impact on the biggest stages, Barcola is not a guaranteed starter in Paris. Competition at PSG is unforgiving. Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia crowd the flanks, and Luis Enrique’s options run deep. Barcola, 23 and under contract only until 2028, sits right in that awkward zone for PSG: valuable, but not indispensable.

With the 2026 summer window open, that combination invites bids. PSG listen when the numbers rise high enough. Arsenal, long accustomed to plucking French-based talent and turning it into title-winning core, are being encouraged to test that resolve.

Mikaël Silvestre, who knows both clubs from the inside, believes the fit is obvious. Speaking to GOAL, the former Arsenal defender did not hesitate when asked if Barcola would suit Arteta’s champions. For him, the winger’s performances for PSG and France, combined with his age and Arsenal’s ambitions to retain the title and finally conquer Europe, make it, in his words, a “green light” move.

The appeal is clear. Barcola brings versatility, direct running and big-game experience. He is used to pressure, used to expectation, used to sharing a pitch with superstars and still demanding the ball. That profile is exactly what Arsenal need if they are to move from contenders to serial winners.

Premier League battle for a rising star

Arsenal, though, are not alone in circling.

Liverpool are deep into their own succession planning as they look at life after Mohamed Salah. A wide forward who can score, create and rotate across the front line is high on their list, and Barcola fits that brief.

Manchester United, back in the Champions League and desperate for more firepower, have also been linked. Dwight Yorke, speaking to GOAL, was blunt about what he would do from Old Trafford: go after Barcola or Desire Doue. For Yorke, both players offer the flexibility modern attacks demand, capable of operating on either flank and filling gaps wherever the front line needs them.

His message was simple: if Marcus Rashford’s future remains uncertain, United should move decisively for one of those two. They want reliable end product. Barcola and Doue, in his view, bring exactly that.

So Arsenal face a familiar Premier League dilemma. Wait and risk being gazumped, or move early and set the market.

Alvarez: the £120m question

While the club weigh up a push for Barcola, another marquee name sits on their list: Julián Álvarez.

Fresh from playing in the 2026 World Cup final alongside Lionel Messi, the Argentina forward has established himself as one of the most influential players in his national side, second only to Messi in impact, as Silvestre pointed out. His club situation, though, is complicated.

Álvarez is now the spearhead at Atletico Madrid, a team renowned for their defensive edge but not always for sweeping up trophies. A move would not be straightforward. Atletico drive a hard bargain and loyalty appears to run deep with the striker. Any deal would be huge: a proposed £120 million fee underlines just how transformative he is seen across Europe.

Silvestre, though, is convinced about what Álvarez could offer Arsenal. The idea of pairing him with Viktor Gyökeres, another powerful presence through the middle, gives Arteta a completely different attacking dimension. Goals from everywhere, relentless pressing, the ability to rip apart low blocks and still threaten on the counter – that is the vision.

Whether Álvarez is ready to walk away from Atletico’s project is another matter. Whether Arsenal are prepared to commit that level of money on one forward, with other areas to address, is an equally sharp question.

What is not in doubt is the scale of Arsenal’s ambition. Trossard has gone. Martinelli may follow. Barcola is admired. Álvarez is coveted. The squad that finally climbed back to the top of English football is being reshaped again, not out of panic but out of a cold, clear understanding: standing still at this level is just another way of falling behind.

How bold Arsenal choose to be in the coming weeks will define not just their title defence, but their credibility as a force in Europe’s elite.