Manchester City and Chelsea are still yet to secure qualification for the UEFA Champions League.
Pep Guardiola and Enzo Maresca – who used to work in the City Football Academy – must defeat Fulham and Nottingham Forest respectively to book a spot in the competition next season.
Should this happen, both clubs will then presumably start to shop in similar areas of the market as they attempt to move on from fairly underwhelming campaigns.
If Enzo Fernandez was in charge of recruitment, the Chelsea No.8 has already revealed who he would love to have at Stamford Bridge, and it’s a player Manchester City actually sold in Julian Alvarez.
Enzo Fernandez wants Julian Alvarez at Chelsea
Manchester City sold the Argentina international to Atletico Madrid for a sum of £82m – which was pretty shrewd business when you consider he was signed for just £14m two seasons before his exit.
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Alvarez – who Barcelona want – scored 36 goals and provided 19 assists in 103 appearances across all competitions.
However, Fernandez now wants the South American back in the Premier League.
When asked by Los Edul which Argentina teammate he would like to sign for Chelsea, the midfielder simply replied: “Julian Alvarez.”
Fernandez has played 76 games alongside the Atletico Madrid No.19 for Argentina – combining to score six goals – which suggests they would have great chemistry on the pitch at Chelsea.
Joe Cole thinks Manchester City let a future Ballon d’Or winner go
After a difficult season under Guardiola, the sale of Alvarez has been scrutinised almost as much as the decision to sell Cole Palmer.
Joe Cole even called Alvarez a future Ballon d’Or winner after the 25-year-old scored a stunning goal in the UEFA Champions League against Real Madrid earlier this season.
Ladies & gentlemen, let me introduce you the #UCL Goal of the Day 🤟 pic.twitter.com/PltOcTHy0X
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) March 5, 2025
The 43-year-old told TNT Sports: “You won’t see a better goal in the Champions League. It’s beautiful, it’s sensational. This kid has won it all and done it all and he’s still only 25. I think we see the best of him over the next five years. I think he’s a Ballon d’Or winner in the future.”
Manchester City received good money for the striker born in Calchin, but after a season where only Erling Haaland has hit double figures for goals in the Premier League for Guardiola, perhaps it would have been wiser to keep the Atletico Madrid star around.