Chelsea and some of Europe’s other top clubs are said to be interested in signing Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez this summer.
In February, it was claimed that Chelsea have already made phone calls regarding Alvarez’s situation at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.
While the 26-year-old does appear to be open to a move away from Atletico this summer, he is making one thing clear to interested parties.
Chelsea are reportedly set to tweak their transfer strategy and sign more experienced players!
Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley
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Julian Alvarez tells Chelsea and other suitors he wants to play up front
During his time at Manchester City, Alvarez played in more than one attacking position.
However, according to TEAMtalk, the Argentine has informed Chelsea and all of his other suitors that he only wants to play through the middle at his next club.
Joao Pedro is currently Chelsea’s first-choice striker and has been excellent this season, but that is not the only potential barrier for the Blues.
Julian Alvarez of Atletico de Madrid during the Copa del Rey final
Photo by Jose Luis Contreras/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The same outlet has claimed that Atletico are demanding a fee in excess of £100m for their forward.
After making huge losses, the Club World Cup winners may not be in a position to spend that sort of money on a single player, especially if they fail to qualify for the Champions League.
How Julian Alvarez and Joao Pedro compare in front of goal
This season, Pedro has actually scored more league goals than Alvarez. In 32 Premier League appearances, the Brazilian has netted 14 times.
As for Alvarez, he has scored eight goals in 29 La Liga appearances. Pedro has played more minutes than Alvarez but still scores more goals per 90 minutes.
As per FotMob, Pedro scores 0.52 goals per 90, while Alvarez’s figure is 0.38. Whatever the case, the Argentina international is still a tremendous forward. If Chelsea have the opportunity to sign him in the next transfer window, they cannot say no.
The club will surely need Champions League football, though, and securing that now looks highly unlikely. Their rivals for the top five all won over the weekend, practically ending their chances of being in Europe’s elite competition next season.
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