Atletico Madrid president breaks silence on club’s Julian Alvarez transfer pursuit | OneFootball

Julian Alvarez’s Manchester City future has been addressed by the president of Atletico Madrid, as the La Liga club pursue a deal for the striker this summer.

The 24-year-old has been subject to interest from a trio of clubs ahead of the opening of the summer transfer window, with the Manchester City striker linked with Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.

Alvarez, who has been at Manchester City since a £14 million move from River Plate, has made 103 appearances and won six trophies to date with Pep Guardiola’s side, and was rewarded with a contract extension last year.

The Argentina international played 54 times and was directly involved in 32 goals for Manchester City last season, but failed to start any of the Sky Blues’ final five matches of the 2023/24 campaign.

The striker is set to represent Argentina at both the Copa America in the United States and the Olympic Games in Paris this summer, and is currently expected to remain at the Etihad Stadium for the new campaign despite growing European interest.

Chelsea joined the race sign Alvarez last week, with the west London club eyeing another major move for a Manchester City player following last summer’s £42.5 million purchase of Cole Palmer.

Alvarez has previously worked with new Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca, after the Italian was part of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City first-team coaching staff prior to moving to Leicester City last summer.

PSG and Atletico Madrid have also been credited with interest, with the La Liga outfit having even considered attempting to sign the 24-year-old on a season-long loan next season.

Atletico club president Enrique Cerezo has now addressed the Spanish side’s pursuit of the Manchester City star, saying: “Julian Alvarez is a Manchester City player, and I don’t think he’s going to move from there.”

Etihad bosses are expecting to retain the services of Alvarez next season, although the club are facing uncertainty surrounding the future of other first-team players, with Kevin De Bruyne, Ederson, Kyle Walker and Matheus Nunes all linked with big-money moves to Saudi Arabia.

Bernardo Silva’s £50 million release clause has also thrown the Portugal midfielder’s future into doubt.