Arsenal are preparing to face Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals with only one team able to progress to the final in Budapest
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have their eyes firmly fixed on reaching the Champions League final as they prepare to take on Atletico Madrid. The Gunners will face the first leg of their semi-final clash in the Spanish capital this evening.
Arsenal have enjoyed a memorable European campaign, securing victory in every match during the league phase before defeating Bayer Leverkusen and Sporting CP to book their place in the last four.
Now, Atletico stand as the sole obstacle between the north Londoners and their first Champions League final appearance since 2006. Leading the charge to halt their progress will be Diego Simeone alongside his star forward, Julian Alvarez.
The ex-Manchester City player has been in scintillating form this term and remains the subject of persistent transfer speculation linking him with Arsenal. Following months of conjecture, he has now spoken out as football.london delivers the latest updates from the Emirates.
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Julian Alvarez addresses transfer rumours
Alvarez has been associated with Arsenal since the start of the January transfer window. Reports had indicated that Arteta views Alvarez as his priority signing ahead of the summer, with a £86million bid potentially sufficient to secure his services.
Simeone has responded to these rumours on multiple occasions, including prior to the fixture against the Gunners. A figure exceeding £120m is now anticipated to represent Atletico’s valuation.
However, the 26-year-old himself appears to have grown weary of the constant speculation, stating at his pre-Arsenal press conference, as reported by Sport: “I try not to pay too much attention to everything that’s said.
“New things come out every week, all kinds of new information. I try not to waste energy on that and focus on what we’re doing here. I can’t come out and clarify or deny everything that comes out. I try not to give too much importance to what’s said on social media.
“It often starts to become a snowball of lies. I don’t want to waste energy on this and I want to save it for things that help the team. We are focused on who we are today as a group, and we want to make history ourselves.”
Arsenal monitoring Bournemouth talent
Elsewhere on the transfer front for the Gunners, eSPORTY claims the club are closely monitoring Bournemouth striker Eli Junior Kroupi.
The French forward has netted 11 Premier League goals this campaign despite being only 19 years old, and has already caught the attention of several clubs. Liverpool and Manchester United have both been linked with Kroupi, alongside Arsenal.
Bournemouth paid just £10m to secure Kroupi from French outfit Lorient in February 2025, but reports now suggest his valuation has increased considerably.
The Cherries have reportedly placed an £80m price tag on Kroupi, £16m higher than the £64m they received from City for Antoine Semenyo. There is understood to be no release clause included in Kroupi’s contract.
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