Pep Guardiola orders Manchester City to sign River Plate starlet
Manchester City could sign a striker in the January transfer window after missing out on Tottenham star Harry Kane in the past summer window. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy stayed firm on his stance of not selling Kane to the club’s direct Premier League rival, which led to a deal not happening even after the Sky Blues tried until the final week of the summer transfer window.
Whether or not Manchester City go back for the Spurs striker remains to be seen, but Pep Guardiola should have alternatives lined up in the market. According to Catalan outlet El Nacional, Manchester City are interested in signing River Plate starlet Julian Alvarez in the January transfer window.
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Julian Alvarez, 21, has enjoyed a meteoric rise in stock since breaking onto the scene as a teenage prodigy with River Plate in 2018. The forward has made incredible progress over the last couple of seasons under manager Marcelo Gallardo, catching a lot of attention of European bigwigs of late.
Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez is understood to be keeping close tabs on the 21-year-old’s evolution at River Plate. However, El Nacional suggests that Manchester City are already preparing an offer for Alvarez, who was a part of the Argentina squad that won the Copa America in the summer.
What makes Alvarez more attractive is the fact that his current contract at River Plate expires in a little over 12 months. This means he could be available for a knockdown price, with the report claiming that the young forward will be let go if the Argentinean club receives an offer of around €20 million in the next transfer window.
Barcelona are also among the clubs interested in the 21-year-old, who has already drawn comparisons with Sergio Aguero due to his ‘mobility and intelligence’, the report further adds.
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Technically gifted and tactically versatile, Alvarez appears to be the kind of player who’ll very well fit in Guardiola’s system at Manchester City. The Argentinean international is a highly rated talent in South America and if the Cityzens can convince him to join them, he’d potentially represent a coup of sorts at around €20 million.