Arsenal have blown Premier League rivals Liverpool away as they push to complete a major statement summer signing for Mikel Arteta.

It has been a quiet first month of the transfer window for Arsenal, but now the Premier League champions appear to be working overtime to bring new players in ahead of the new season as they look to retain their league title, as well as attempting to go one step further in the Champions League by getting to the final and winning it.

Piero Hincapie has already completed a permanent move to the Emirates as expected, and he has been joined in north London by free-agent goalkeeper Illan Meslier, who will currently act as a back-up option to David Raya and Kepa Arrizabalaga between the sticks.

The Gunners are working on bigger-money signings now, with a deal worth around £34m now agreed with Club Brugge to sign winger Christos Tzolis.

GIVEMESPORT sources have also revealed that Arsenal are set to launch their first bid to sign Aston Villa and England star Morgan Rogers, who will be returning home following the third-place playoff match against France on Saturday night.

A separate report has claimed that the offer could be worth £105m, with the 23-year-old confirmed as the club’s top transfer target in attack.

Arsenal are looking at other attacking options too, though.

Arsenal Lead Premier League Race to Sign Julian Alvarez

Rodrigo Valle via Reuters

It has been an eventful summer for the Argentina international, who will represent his nation in the 2026 World Cup final against Spain on Sunday night in New Jersey.

The world-class 26-year-old has also made it clear he wants to explore opportunities away from Atletico Madrid this summer, having attracted bids from both Barcelona and Real Madrid for his services, with the latter seeing a £130m bid rejected last month.

Atletico continue to claim that their star attacker is going nowhere, but Football Insider claim that Arsenal are ahead of Liverpool in the race to land their ‘dream’ signing, with Barcelona expected to make a fresh bid for his services following the conclusion of the World Cup.

Alvarez has been quite quiet in the World Cup, but he scored 20 goals and assisted 10 more in 52 appearances in all competitions for Atleti last term, catapulting him to the top of many top European clubs’ transfer wishlist.

Arsenal Deal Another Transfer Blow to Liverpool

via Reuters

Liverpool have been dealt another transfer blow with a report suggesting that their top target to replace Mohamed Salah actually prefers a move to London instead.

Because of that, the France international would prefer to join Arsenal instead of Liverpool if Paris Saint-Germain sanction his sale, although the north Londoners are currently focusing on Rogers as their top left-sided attacking target.

Should a move for the Englishman fail, then it could be a straight head-to-head battle between Arsenal and Liverpool for Barcola, who could become one of the most in-demand forwards in Europe if PSG give the green light for a summer exit with contract talks currently stalling.

Tottenham Hotspur have already completed major transfer coups this summer in snapping up Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, but the club’s ‘dream’ target has proven too ambitious, after Chelsea agreed a deal.

A dismal 17th-place finish for Spurs last time out has not hampered progress in the window, beating European rivals to the signings of Fernandes and Tonali, as well as former Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke.

Roberto De Zerbi has bolstered at the back and in the centre of the park, but is yet to add firepower. The Italian is known to be a big fan of Dominic Solanke but is also in the market for added creativity with one Premier League star said to be a very attractive option to the new Spurs boss.

Tottenham Miss Out on ‘Dream’ Transfer Target

Speaking on the Last Word On Spurs podcast, the Times journalist Tom Allnutt claimed that Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers has been outlined as the dream purchase before the summer window slams shut.

On Thursday, he said: “Morgan Rogers is a name that keeps coming up for Tottenham. He would be a dream signing, but there are other clubs interested. It would be very difficult to do, but maybe one to watch.”

Rogers had been linked with several high-profile Premier League sides this summer, with Arsenal ready to make an opening offer for the midfielder, as revealed by GIVEMESPORT this week, despite Aston Villa being adamant that the 23-year-old is not for sale.

Now, Chelsea have hijacked a potential Arsenal move for the 23-year-old after agreeing a £117m deal with Aston Villa for the attacker.

The Villans star will jet back to the UK following the bronze match on Saturday evening and is set to undergo a medical on Monday.

Tottenham Focusing on Junior Kroupi and Savinho

via Reuters

Now Rogers is confirmed to be on his way to Chelsea, Tottenham can concentrate on securing two of their other top attacking targets in this window.

Spurs are said to have reached a verbal agreement with Manchester City to sign winger Savinho, 12 months after they first attempted to bring him to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the player keen on the move.

Even if the north London outfit do land Savinho, they still also hold an interest in buying standout Bournemouth forward Eli Junior Kroupi, as their huge summer spend shows no signs of slowing down.

Argentina face Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday evening, with one notable figure set to be missing from the stands at MetLife Stadium — the South American nation’s president, Javier Milei, has decided not to attend the showpiece event for a bizarre reason.

Lionel Scaloni’s men booked their place in the final by beating England in dramatic circumstances on Wednesday in Atlanta. The Three Lions led La Albiceleste until the 85th minute, before a long-range effort from Enzo Fernandez and a header from Lautaro Martinez turned the game on its head at the death.

The reigning world champions will meet La Roja in the final, after Luis de la Fuente’s side knocked tournament favourites France out of the competition in Dallas on Tuesday.

Argentina will be bidding to add a fourth star to their shirts, but they’ll do so without the support of their country’s political leader in New Jersey.

Argentina’s President Won’t Be at World Cup Final

Typically, the primary political figures of the countries involved in the World Cup final will attend the game. They’ll be situated in a hospitality seat, alongside the leader of the host nation.

US President Donald Trump reportedly invited Milei to watch the match with him in New Jersey, but the Argentine respectfully declined.

While Spanish President Pedro Sanchez is expected to be in attendance at MetLife, his Argentine counterpart has revealed that he won’t be, out of superstition.

“No way [will he attend],” Milei told El Observador, a local Buenos Aires radio station (via talkSPORT).

The South American politician has watched all seven previous games at his presidential residence in Quinta de Olivos in the northern region of Argentina’s capital city, and he plans to watch the final at the same venue.

“I’m going to keep watching all the games from Olivos,” he said.

Argentina Presidents Historically Don’t Attend World Cup Matches

Argentina’s Lionel Messi via REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

While some might laugh at Milei’s superstitious behaviour, it’s a long-running theme with Argentine presidents and the World Cup.

In 1990, former President Carlos Menem visited La Albiceleste squad just before they suffered a shock opening loss against Cameroon. They bounced back from this disappointing result to reach the final, which they eventually lost to West Germany.

However, the damage was done for Menem and Argentine presidents for years to come. The then-president was dubbed a jinx, and no sitting Argentine president has since attended a single national team game — or at least their attendance hasn’t been publicly documented.

More generally, many Argentinian people are superstitious, with ritualistic beliefs and habits a core part of their culture, particularly when it comes to following the men’s national team.