Julian Alvarez is, nowadays, probably one of the best center forwards in the world. However, despite holding this status as an elite player, he has not yet managed to establish himself as a regular starter at Manchester City. This is based on a significant reason: he has Erling Haaland ahead of him, who, if not the best '9' in Europe currently, must be very close to it. This situation has left the 'Spider' with two options: stay another year fighting for a starting spot in the 'citizen' squad or embark on a new adventure at another club that allows him to showcase his football regularly as a starter.
Apparently, the Argentine striker has decided to opt for the second option, and all signs point to his departure from the 'Sky Blues' this summer being almost a certainty. His destination? Everything indicates that he will land in LaLiga EA Sports, where two clubs have shown interest in his services: FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. Apparently, the latter will be the ones to prevail in the 'race' for the former River Plate player.
According to the sports newspaper 'Ole', the 'colchoneros' would have managed to match the transfer demands of the Manchester team, thus sealing a deal valued at a total of 70 million euros fixed plus another 20 million in variables. A truly lucrative deal for Manchester City, which would make Alvarez's sale the most expensive in its history, and a masterful negotiation considering they only invested around 20 million for his services in 2022.
FC Barcelona did not bet strongly enough on signing Julian Alvarez
Unfortunately for FC Barcelona, with this transaction materializing, they would lose a forward who they apparently wanted to reinforce their attacking line in 2025, potentially being the successor to Robert Lewandowski as that stellar '9' that the Catalan team deserves. Although the deal seemed quite attractive, perhaps it was not feasible to pursue it in this summer transfer window, as the Barcelona team is clearly focused on acquiring Nico Williams (left winger) and Dani Olmo (attacking midfielder).
In this line of argument, it is worth noting that, despite the intention to resolve the situation with financial fair play soon and comply with the 1/1 rule, this has not yet materialized for the Catalan side. Therefore, until this is resolved, Barcelona cannot be considered a strong candidate to attempt the transfer of the 'killer' from the 'Albiceleste' this summer. Allegedly, the Blaugrana team may not have been as adept in a potential negotiation with Manchester City. It has been observed that, with players like Williams or Olmo, the institution has done everything possible to secure their signings, seeking ways to reduce costs or find a more affordable way to pay the amounts demanded by the clubs.
However, in the case of Julian Alvarez, there was no information indicating that the club was planning an offensive move to sign him, despite clubs like Arsenal and, of course, Atletico Madrid, showing interest in him and the Argentine was willing to leave this summer. Perhaps Barcelona believed that this transaction was economically too complex to pursue? Did they trust that City would not let him go in this transfer window and they could try an offensive move for him in 2025? This is not entirely clear.
What is undeniable is that FC Barcelona has missed out on a valuable option to reinforce the '9' position and possibly the left-wing, another position where the striker could occasionally operate. Additionally, the forward would move to a direct rival who, according to 'Ole', would tie him down for around five seasons, thus acquiring a voracious and highly technical goal scorer looking to shine as a starter at a major European club. Will he achieve this at Atletico? Only time will tell.