103-appearance Manchester City star holds crunch Pep Guardiola talks amid £80 million summer exit links | OneFootball

Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez has held crunch talks with manager Pep Guardiola, after transfer interest from a trio of major European clubs.

The 24-year-old, who is currently representing Argentina at the Copa America and could also compete at the Olympics in Paris this month, has been linked with a potential exit from the Etihad Stadium this summer.

Alvarez has made 103 appearances since moving to Manchester City from River Plate in 2022, with the Argentinian forward winning six trophies, including two Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League.

The striker featured 54 times for Manchester City during the recent 2023/24 campaign, making 39 starts, scoring 19 goals and registering 13 assists for Pep Guardiola’s side.

Alvarez made only six starts for the Sky Blues from early April however, and failed to start any of Manchester City’s final four matches of the season, including the Premier League finale clash against West Ham and Emirates FA Cup loss to Manchester United.

The forward is contracted in east Manchester until 2028, however was the subject of an audacious transfer enquiry from Premier League rivals Chelsea, as well as Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain last month.

The 24-year-old is expected to remain at the Etihad despite links with an £80 million exit, with outlet TBR revealing that Manchester City manager Guardiola has held talks with Alvarez, to provide assurances surrounding his role within the squad.

Alvarez has been regarded as a ‘key player’ by the Blues boss, despite the striker often competing with Erling Haaland to start up front for Manchester City.

The versatile attacker would miss the opening weeks of the campaign should Alvarez be selected for the Olympics later this month, with Manchester City full-back Sergio Gomez having already been confirmed for the Games.