Arsenal's Bold Moves: Trossard Leaves as Barcola and Álvarez Enter Radar

Leandro Trossard’s departure to Besiktas feels like more than a tidy piece of business. It looks like the first clear sign that Arsenal’s attack is being ripped up and reimagined.

The Belgian, scorer of crucial goals in last season’s title triumph, has been allowed to leave north London for Turkey. That decision, on its own, is bold. Coupled with growing uncertainty around Gabriel Martinelli’s future, it signals a manager willing to cut into the emotional core of his squad to find another level.

Martinelli, once the livewire symbol of Arsenal’s new era, now sits at a crossroads. Arsenal are open to sanctioning a sale if the right offer arrives, a move that would free up both funds and space in a squad Arteta wants sharper, deeper and more ruthless ahead of the 2026-27 campaign. The left side of the attack, once locked down, suddenly feels wide open.

And into that space steps a familiar tormentor.

Barcola: From Champions League Heartbreak to Arsenal’s Radar

Bradley Barcola is not an abstract name to Arsenal supporters. He is one of the players who helped shatter their Champions League dream last season, part of a Paris Saint-Germain side that secured back-to-back European crowns and underlined the gulf that still exists at the very top.

The 23-year-old winger also shone for France at the World Cup finals, linking up with Kylian Mbappé and Michael Olise in an attack that crackled with pace and invention. Yet at PSG, he remains far from untouchable. Desire Doué, Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia all jostle for the same attacking spaces, and Barcola’s contract at Parc des Princes only runs until the summer of 2028.

That combination — high ceiling, limited guarantees, finite deal — makes him exactly the sort of player big clubs test with serious offers when a transfer window opens. This summer is no different.

Arsenal, long accustomed to mining France for elite talent, are being pushed to make their move.

Mikaël Silvestre, who once wore the Arsenal shirt himself, sees a perfect fit. Speaking to GOAL, he did not bother to sit on the fence. For him, Barcola to Arsenal makes sense for everyone involved.

“That would be an obvious choice for both the player and the club to go for,” Silvestre said, pointing to the winger’s impact for PSG and France, his age, and the club’s ambitions. Arsenal want to retain their Premier League title and finally conquer the Champions League. In Silvestre’s eyes, Barcola ticks every box. “It's a green light on my side, 100%.”

Premier League Tug-of-War

Arsenal, though, are not alone in circling.

Liverpool must confront life after Mohamed Salah at some point, and the search for a successor at Anfield has inevitably led them toward versatile wide forwards with end product. Barcola fits that profile.

Manchester United, back in the Champions League and desperate for more cutting edge, are also watching. Dwight Yorke has already nailed his colours to the mast, urging his former club to go straight to Paris.

“Bradley Barcola or Desire Doue. I’d go for one of them if I was Michael Carrick. It’s as simple as that,” Yorke told GOAL. He highlighted their flexibility — left, right, across the front line — and framed them as the kind of attackers United should be building around, especially if Marcus Rashford’s future remains clouded.

“If Marcus Rashford doesn’t want to stick around, and who knows where his head is at, go and get Doue or Barcola,” Yorke said. For him, they are “solid players who are going to produce the goods on the field.”

The message is clear: hesitate, and someone else will pounce.

Alvarez: The £120m Question

Barcola is not the only marquee forward on Arsenal’s board.

The club are also weighing up a huge move for Argentina’s Julián Álvarez, now leading the line at Atletico Madrid after his Manchester City chapter and fresh from another World Cup final appearance alongside Lionel Messi in 2026. He missed out on a second world title, but his status as one of Argentina’s key figures is no longer in doubt.

Silvestre, again, is unequivocal about Álvarez’s pedigree. For him, only Messi has carried more weight for Argentina in recent years. That is the level of player Arsenal are considering to spearhead an attack already featuring Swedish striker Viktor Gyökeres.

Álvarez would not come cheap. A deal could reach £120 million, a sum that would reshape any club’s balance sheet and almost certainly require at least one major sale. But Silvestre believes the performances justify the price.

“Below Messi for Argentina, he's the player that has been the most impactful,” he said. Atletico’s grind, its defensive rigidity, has not stopped Álvarez from standing out, even if it has limited his chances to stack up trophies. Silvestre senses a fiercely loyal character and admits he does not know if the forward is ready to move on, yet he is convinced of one thing: “What performances he's shown this season, he would be a great signing.”

A Ruthless Summer Ahead

So Arsenal stand at the edge of a defining window.

Trossard has gone. Martinelli could follow. Space is being cleared not for incremental tweaks, but for statement signings — the kind that alter dressing rooms, tilt title races and change how opponents prepare for you.

Barcola would give Arteta another devastating wide threat, someone who has already inflicted damage on Arsenal at the highest level. Álvarez would arrive as a centrepiece, a striker hardened by City, sharpened by Atletico and elevated by Argentina.

The decisions now will echo for years. Does Arsenal double down on youth and potential with Barcola? Do they smash through the £100m barrier for a World Cup-winning No. 9? Or do they try to do both, trusting that one ruthless summer can turn domestic champions into European rulers?

The window is open. The squad is in motion. Arsenal’s next move will tell everyone exactly how high they intend to aim.