Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that the club are waiting for a phone call from Julian Alvarez’s agent to find out whether the player wants to stay at the Etihad this summer.
Speaking whilst with the Argentina squad at the Olympics, Alvarez confirmed that he will make a decision on his future at the end of the tournament. Asked for his thoughts on those comments, Guardiola said:
“I knew that he [Álvarez] said that he is going to think about it. When he finishes thinking about it, his agent is going to call [City football director] Txiki [Begiristain] and we are going to see what happens.”
“I know he wants to play in important moments but the others [do] too. I have 18 or 19 players that want to play important games. He played a lot but if he wants more, it’s fine. When he thinks about it he’ll inform us.”
Why is Alvarez considering his future?
As Guardiola mentions, the 24-year-old was unhappy about the lack of opportunities that he had in “important” games last season. He didn’t play much during the run-in, and he didn’t start either leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid.
Even so, Alvarez still started 39 matches in all competitions and finished the campaign having played more minutes than all but seven other players in City’s squad.
City won’t let him leave on the cheap
Arsenal, Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain have all been mentioned as potential suitors for Alvarez but the Premier League champions will demand a sizeable fee if he asks to leave.
It is believed that the Cityzens want €70m (£59m) upfront and another €20m (£16.8m) in add-ons. That’s a fee which some fans may argue is too low but it will scare off some teams, such as Atletico, from making an offer.
