Julian Alvarez picked the perfect night to remind Europe why he is one of the most ruthless forwards around, tearing Spurs apart in Atletico Madrid’s 5-2 Champions League demolition in Madrid.
The Argentine needed barely a quarter of an hour to get on the scoresheet after a mistake from young Spurs keeper Antonin Kinsky before he was hooked after just 17 minutes of a nightmare European debut. By the time Alvarez had added a second after the break, Tottenham were simply trying to limit the damage.
For Liverpool fans, it is hard to watch nights like this without thinking about what might have been.
Reports last year revealed that when Alvarez was looking for a route out of Manchester City in the summer of 2024, Liverpool explored an audacious swap deal that would have seen Luis Diaz head to the Etihad with the World Cup winner moving the other way.
City knocked back the idea, and Alvarez instead secured his big move to Atletico Madrid in an £80m-plus transfer while Diaz stayed at Anfield for one last title-winning season before joining Bayern Munich.
His agent Fernando Hidalgo confirmed that Liverpool were indeed keen on the striker in 2024.
Now the World Cup winner has casts some doubt on his future in the aftermath of the Spurs win, claiming that he’s unsure of whether he will in the Spanish capital next season:
“Next season staying at Atletico? I do not know. Maybe yes, maybe no These are just things people say…” he said.
“I have nothing to say other than I’m happy here as on media a lot of things get talked about, but it’s nothing”.
“Anyone can post what they think or believe and it just grows bigger… I never said anything – I’m happy here”.
“We’re very happy competing in all competitions.. so everything is going very well at Atlético Madrid”
The 26-year-old sees his contract at Atletico expire in 2030, so the Spanish giants will hold leverage in any potential negotiation.
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