Manchester City have set a price tag of £60 million for Julian Alvarez as Chelsea and Arsenal are queueing up for a buy. Additionally, Man City are demanding £17 million in add-ons, making the deal quite expensive. The 24-year-old centre-forward has been with City since 2022 and made 54 appearances across all competitions last season.
Despite his obvious world-class abilities, he has not been a regular part of Pep Guardiola’s starting eleven in the last two seasons. At 24, Julian will be looking to start week-in and week-out for the club which is almost impossible due to Erling Haaland’s presence.
“We’ll see, I don’t know if at the last moment, someone will come for one of our players and they will end up leaving, which would force us to replace those departures,” said Pep Guardiola amidst the transfer rumours. However, the Spanish tactician rates Alvarez very highly and would want to retain him in the squad.
Julian Alvarez, who was a part of Argentina’s recent successful Copa America triumph, is versatile and can play in multiple positions in attack. Though he has had limited playing time as a starter for Manchester City, he has managed to score 19 goals and provide 13 assists, demonstrating his value. A player of his calibre could be used effectively by any other team.
Arteta is very interested in signing Julian Alvarez, as his addition could potentially help the team push for the Premier League title. With Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli as wingers for Arsenal, Julian’s addition as the striker could pose a significant threat to opponents. It would make Arsenal’s front three one of the most pacy in the league.
Chelsea are also looking to strengthen their forward line this summer and will go all out to buy Julian. The Blues haven’t been cash shy in recent transfer windows and Man City’s asking price is unlikely to put them off, especially as they look for a striker this summer
Julian is participating in the 2024 Olympics and is likely to miss representing the Blues through the initial part of the pre-season. Though Manchester City have some backups even if the 24-year-old leaves, they continue to face challenges in retaining players. That said, Pep has time and again shown that he doesn’t believe in holding a player against their will and should a suitable offer come in this summer, Alvarez might end up being an Arsenal or Chelsea player next season.