Manchester City are set to see a key player depart for a club-record fee
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.(Image credit: Getty Images)
After winning their fourth consecutive Premier League title in May, one can understand why Manchester City have not looked to rock the boat too much in the transfer market.
The club have made only one major signing so far, bringing in Brazilian winger Savinho from French side Troyes, who are part of the City Football Group. Three players have left the club, but the likes of Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Sergio Gomez and Tommy Doyle were unlikely to feature too much in Pep Guardiola’s plans this year.
This situation could change shortly however, amid reports that one of Guardiola’s key first-teamers could be heading to La Liga.
VIDEO Why Signing Archie Gray Was A Masterstroke By Spurs
A number of outlets, including the BBC are reporting that City have agreed a fee of up to £81.5million with Atletico Madrid for the transfer of striker Julian Alvarez. The reported deal is said to be worth £64.4million initially, with a further £17million in add-ons.
Personal terms are still yet to be agreed, but if the deal goes through, it will see City bank a huge profit of more than 500 per cent of the £14million they paid River Plate for the forward back in 2022.
Since then, Alvarez has claimed a remarkable medal haul for both club and country, winning the two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Cup with City, while adding the World Cup and Copa America with Argentina.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
Julian Alvarez celebrates after scoring for Manchester City (Image credit: Getty Images)
Despite these successes, he has reportedly grown frustrated with his role at City, with more than 40 of his 103 appearances for the club coming off the bench. He failed to make the pitch during the Champions League and FA Cup finals in 2023 and was a second-half substitute in last season’s FA Cup final defeat to Manchester United.
The 24-year-old has recently been on Olympics duty with Argentina, who were knocked out at the quarter-final stage by France last week and had previously said he would make a decision on his future after the Games.
City will now face a decision on whether or not they will look to replace Alvarez this summer, with Erling Haaland now the only out-and-out senior striker on their books. The £81.5million deal for Alvarez would be a club record fee received by City, who would have raised £120million in the market this summer if and when the deal is completed.
For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.
