Man City not ready to sell €90m-rated Barcelona target

Julian Alvarez might be just 24 years old but has already completed football. A two-time Copa America champion, World Cup winner, Champions League winner, Premier League winner, and Club World Cup winner, the Argentinian has won almost every major trophy at both club and international levels.

Despite playing for one of the best teams in the world, Manchester City, Alvarez wants to leave this summer. Lack of game time has prompted the ex-River Plate striker to make this decision and look for a new challenge.

Not surprisingly, Alvarez is not short of suitors. European giants like PSG, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid are interested in signing the Argentinian superstar with Los Colchoneros even approaching the player’s entourage regarding a deal.

Despite the player’s desire to leave, as per an exclusive report from CaughtOffside, Manchester City decided not to sell Julian Alvarez this summer. It’s quite a surprising decision from a club who are generally known not to hold a player against his will.

The report adds that the player is open to staying at City if it comes to it but is keen to have more playing time next season. Pep Guardiola rates the player highly and has assured him of being a key part of his plans for next season. In fact, the legendary Barcelona manager called Alvarez an ‘incredible, exceptional player’ last season.

The presence of a demigod-like figure in Erling Haaland has prevented Alvarez from having the game time he deserves as a striker at Man City. Pep used him to good effect as a #10 last season during Kevin de Bruyne’s injury absence.

With a contract until 2028, the Premier League defending champions are in no particular urgency to sell him. He has scored 36 goals and 18 assists in 103 appearances for Man City so far and will want to add to the tally next season.

Even if he was available, it’s unlikely that Barcelona will be able to sign him this summer due to the club’s financial predicament. The Catalan club has set their sights on Nico Williams which in itself would be a tough operation to pull off.

Thus, missing out on Alvarez is not something that is going to affect Barcelona’s plans this summer. It might be a blessing in disguise as the club might be in a better position to try and sign him next summer, should they decide to. For now, it seems like the Argentinian striker is set to stay put at Man City.