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How close Liverpool came to signing Arsenal target Julian Alvarez from Manchester City

Liverpool host Manchester City in the Premier League this weekend, and had things gone differently, Julian Alvarez could have been lining up for the Reds.

The Merseyside outfit head into the fixture having won their last two matches in all competitions.

However, their record against the bigger sides of late has been subpar, already losing 3-0 to Man City earlier this season.

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Alisson before Marseille vs Liverpool - UEFA Champions League

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Liverpool have struggled in the Premier League at times, with Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah both coming under fire from supporters.

In turn, fans may wish that their club ended up signing Julian Alvarez when he was still at Manchester City.

Liverpool wanted to sign Julian Alvarez as part of a deal involving Luis Diaz

The Argentine is once again in the news this week, with Dean Jones saying, ‘there are rumours that Arsenal were looking at Alvarez, and I’m told it’s true. I’m told they genuinely are interested in that and have made initial explorations around it’

Alvarez is currently on the books of Atletico Madrid and under contract until 2030.

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But back in 2024, Liverpool were exploring a possible deal for the then-Man City talent.

As the Telegraph explained in September 2025, Luis Diaz was eyeing a potential move to the Etihad Stadium.

In turn, Liverpool asked about signing Alvarez as part of a swap deal, but City are said to have responded: “We don’t sell to rivals,” with the Reds replying: “Neither do we then.”

What transpired was Diaz remaining at Anfield for another season before eventually leaving to join Bayern Munich, while the South American moved to Spain that summer.

Alvarez has gone on to impress with Atletico, while Liverpool have since strengthened their striker ranks with Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak.

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Hugo Ekitike stats compared to Julian Alvarez

The former Manchester City ace has scored 40 and assisted 13 in 88 matches during his time in Spain.

He has found the back of the net 11 times in 31 matches this term, but Ekitike is outperforming the Arsenal target.

In all competitions, the Frenchman already has 15 goals and four assists in 32 appearances.

It’s still early days, of course, but after Ekitike has been compared to Fernando Torres, missing out on Alvarez no longer looks like such a bad thing.

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