Arsenal's Next Forward: Barcola or Álvarez?
Leandro Trossard’s exit from Arsenal felt inevitable the moment the season ended. A useful squad man, a scorer of important goals, but not a cornerstone. Now he’s gone, heading to Besiktas, and his departure leaves more than just a vacancy on the left flank. It sharpens the focus on a far bigger question: who leads Arsenal’s next attacking evolution?
Because the spotlight is drifting, uncomfortably, towards Gabriel Martinelli.
The Brazilian once looked untouchable in Mikel Arteta’s plans, a relentless runner with a ruthless edge. Now his future sits on the table. Arsenal are open to a sale if the right offer lands, aware that moving him on would free both cash and space in a squad that needs another injection of elite quality out wide. The champions are not standing still. They can’t afford to.
Arteta’s side wants to retain the Premier League title and finally crack the Champions League. To do that, the margins matter. The wide positions, in particular, feel ripe for an upgrade.
Barcola in the frame
Enter Bradley Barcola, the latest French forward to catch Arsenal’s eye.
He has already hurt them once. The 23-year-old played his part in Paris Saint-Germain’s back-to-back Champions League triumphs, a run that included shattering Arsenal’s European hopes in 2025-26. He then carried that form onto the biggest international stage, impressing for France at the World Cup alongside Kylian Mbappé and Michael Olise.
Yet at PSG, he is far from guaranteed a starting berth. Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia crowd the attacking lanes, turning every team sheet into a fight. Barcola’s contract runs only until 2028, a long deal but not an immovable one for a club that listens when the money is right.
With the 2026 summer window open, the situation feels live. Tempting bids will be heard. Arsenal, long associated with French talent and the ability to turn it into superstardom, are being urged to test PSG’s resolve.
Mikael Silvestre, who knows both clubs and once wore the Arsenal shirt, believes the move fits perfectly. Speaking to GOAL, he did not bother to dress it up.
“That would be an obvious choice for both the player and the club to go for,” he said, pointing to Barcola’s impact for PSG and France, his age, and where Arsenal are headed. “Retain the title, try to win the Champions League. It's a green light on my side, 100%.”
The logic is clear. Barcola brings versatility, end product and big-game experience, yet still has room to grow. He is young enough to be moulded, proven enough to trust.
Arsenal are not alone, though.
Premier League heavyweights circle
Liverpool are also in the market. Mohamed Salah will not lead their line forever, and the search for his eventual successor has already begun. Barcola’s ability to operate on either flank makes him an obvious candidate in any shortlist at Anfield.
Manchester United, too, are watching. With Champions League football back on the agenda, they need more firepower and more imagination in the final third. Dwight Yorke has made his preference plain. Speaking to GOAL, the former United striker named two players he would chase from Paris.
“Bradley Barcola or Desire Doue. I’d go for one of them if I was Michael Carrick. It’s as simple as that,” he said. “They can both play down the left side, they can play down the right side, they can play wherever the attack needs them to.”
Yorke then turned the conversation towards Marcus Rashford’s uncertain future.
“If Marcus Rashford doesn’t want to stick around, and who knows where his head is at, go and get Doue or Barcola. Those are the two players you should go get. You want good attacking players, solid players who are going to produce the goods on the field, so go and get one of those players.”
The message is blunt: hesitate, and someone else will move first.
For Arsenal, that raises the stakes. If Martinelli is to be sacrificed, it must be for a forward who lifts the ceiling, not just the depth chart. Barcola fits that brief, but so does another name on the radar.
The Alvarez question
While the focus sits on the flanks, Arsenal are also weighing a seismic move through the middle: a big-money push for Julián Álvarez.
The Argentina star, fresh from playing in the 2026 World Cup final alongside Lionel Messi and narrowly missing a second world title, has grown into one of the most complete forwards in the game. At Atletico Madrid, he has carried a heavy burden in a system that rarely flatters strikers, yet his influence has shone through.
Reports suggest he could be prised away in a deal worth around £120 million. That sort of fee would reshape any club’s plans. It would also send a message about where Arsenal see themselves in the European hierarchy.
Silvestre is in no doubt about Álvarez’s status for his country.
“Below Messi for Argentina, he's the player that has been the most impactful,” he said, highlighting the 26-year-old’s consistency on the international stage.
The sticking point is not the talent. It is the temperament. Álvarez comes across as fiercely loyal, a player who does not jump ship at the first opportunity.
“Playing for Atletico Madrid, it's hard to get things over the line to win trophies,” Silvestre admitted. “It looks like it's a player that is, I would say, very loyal. I don't know if he's ready to move. But what performances he's shown this season, he would be a great signing.”
For Arsenal, pairing Álvarez with Viktor Gyökeres would create a frontline brimming with movement, pressing and goals. It would also demand difficult decisions elsewhere in the squad, not least around Martinelli and the remaining wide options.
This is the reality of life at the top. A title defence and another assault on Europe require ruthless calls. Trossard has already gone. Martinelli could follow. Barcola and Álvarez are on the board.
Now it comes down to how bold Arsenal want to be – and how much they are willing to risk to turn domestic dominance into something far bigger.
