Julian Alvarez Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid
Julian Alvarez shocked everyone by leaving Man City to join Atletico Madrid last summer but after just one year, the forward wants to leave Atletico Madrid as well.
The Argentine international has had a highly successful season with Atleti, scoring 29 goals in 53 appearances for the club. Unlike Manchester City where he had to play second fiddle, Julian Alvarez is a regular starter under Diego Simeone and so far, he’s started 29 out of the 36 league matches that he has played.
However, the 25-year-old is not confident about the team’s long-term ambitions and feels Atletico Madrid do not have the capacity to win major silverware any time soon. This is why the centre-forward wants to leave and according to El Chiringuito, Premier League sides Arsenal and Liverpool want to sign him.
Is Julian Alvarez considering a return to the Premier League?
Julian Alvarez was a consistent performer off the bench at Manchester City and he’s shown the same level of hunger in Spain as well. In 36 LaLiga appearances, the 25-year-old has an xG of 14.1 and has scored his 17 league goals from just 38 shots on target.
He has a dribble success rate of almost 60% and he has created 39 major chances which is quite normal for someone who has had 121 touches inside the opposition box.
Arsenal want to sign a world-class centre-forward and even Liverpool are looking for a long-term replacement for Darwin Nunez. Julian Alvarez will fit in perfectly at both these clubs but the Argentine international wants to remain in Spain.
Even though Alvarez wants to leave Atletico Madrid at the moment he is not considering a return to England. Barcelona is supposedly his dream move and he feels he can fill the void left by Lewandowski.
Can all the suitors afford the Argentine?
Atletico Madrid signed Julian Alvarez for a fee totaling around €95 million and the club’s management has made it clear that they do not want to sell the striker after just one season.
His contract expires in 2030 which means Atletico are in no hurry to offload him. Several reports suggest that he is protected with a €150 million release clause and if this is true then Liverpool and Arsenal will never be able to get their hands on the 25-year-old.
If they sell their current unwanted centre-forwards even then Arsenal and Liverpool will have to pay around €80-100 million out of their own pockets. It’s not like they cannot afford to pay such an amount but there are numerous other world-class centre-forwards available for much less.
Barcelona are in the driver’s seat in this transfer race but they need to figure out their finances before they can open talks with the player’s representatives. The peak performances from Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo and the other midfielders mean Hansi Flick is well stocked in those departments.
If Barca can manage their finances well enough then signing Julian Alvarez might not be a distant dream.