According to Calciomercato, Manchester City have emerged as the latest club to register interest in Julian Alvarez. The River Plate forward has become one of the hottest prospects in the South American market and a big-money move to Europe could soon be on the horizon. Alvarez is already tracked by some of the biggest clubs in the world including Real Madrid and Manchester United, but it appears they are now set to face stiff competition from the English champions, in pursuit of the highly-talented attacker.
Who Is Julian Alvarez?
A native of Calchin, Julian Alvarez has been a part of the prestigious River Plate academy since 2015. He has already been one of the most talented prospects in the club’s youth setup, eventually winning promotion to the first team at the start of 2019.
Since then, Alvarez has gone on to become a real asset in the River Plate attack, notching up almost 100 league appearances. During his time with the Argentine giants, the forward has scored 33 goals while racking up 24 assists.
A centre forward by trade, the 21-year-old has impressed the onlookers with his technical prowess and versatility in the final third. Indeed, Alvarez is not a traditional number nine. Standing at just 1.70m, the Argentine relies heavily on his skill on the ball and positioning sense to drift past the opposition.
He is capable of shifting into wider roles, but Alvarez is also blessed with the ability to sniff goalscoring opportunities. As a result, he has become one of the most in-demand players in South America and it is only a matter of time before he makes a highly-awaited move to Europe.
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An Ideal Target For Manchester City?
Manchester City‘s pursuit of Julian Alvarez is hardly surprising as the club desperately requires reinforcements in the forward unit. The reigning English champions lost Sergio Aguero in the summer, while the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Ferran Torres both face uncertain futures at the club.
It has left Man City searching for new options in the market, as Pep Guardiola looks to build a solid core for the future. While the Citizens have been in contention to sign top players like Harry Kane and Erling Haaland, someone like Alvarez could make more sense from a sporting perspective.
As mentioned earlier, the Argentine is not a traditional centre-forward. He may not offer the physicality or aerial prowess required to thrive in the Premier League, but he is equipped with the technical skill and tactical astuteness that could make him a major success at Manchester City.
After all, Guardiola rarely likes to work with a regular centre forward as it restricts the potential of his attacking unit. Someone like Alvarez, in that regard, could offer that tactical flexibility to his name next season, potentially becoming a long-term replacement for Aguero.
