Chelsea are interested in signing Julian Alvarez, but Manchester City are not going make it easy for a move to go through this summer.
The Londoners have already had immense success after signing a player from Pep Guardiola’s side. Cole Palmer became one of the best players in the Premier League after his move to Stamford Bridge.
Now, Chelsea have added Alvarez to their wish list, but they will have to spend a lot of money to land him in this summer’s transfer window.
Manchester City’s demands for Chelsea target Julian Alvarez
Manchester City signed Alvarez from River Plate for just over £14 million in January 2022 (BBC).
The Argentine was brought in as a player for the future, but he has impressed in a Manchester City shirt on multiple occasions.
Alvarez, now 24, played 54 games in all competitions for City in the 2023/24 season and directly contributed to 32 goals. That is an excellent return.
TBR Football exclusively revealed that Alvarez has told Manchester City that he would like to play more in the Champions League, but he hasn’t requested to leave the club.
The versatile attacker started just two games in Europe’s elite club competition last season.
TBR can further confirm that City do not ‘envisage a scenario’ where Alvarez would leave the club despite links to Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain this summer.
However, if the Blues or any other club want to sign him, they will have to be prepared to pay a massive fee to convince City.
Dean Jones has revealed on GiveMeSport that ‘£80 million is considered the starting point’ for any negotiations for Alvarez this summer.
That would be the minimum fee they would be prepared to start talks at, and the fact that the attacker is tied down to a contract until 2028 puts them in a really strong position.
Cole Palmer vs Julian Alvarez – who had the better season in 2023/24
Palmer and Alvarez were once teammates at Manchester City, but the former left the Etihad for Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2023.
The Englishman had an amazing debut season at Chelsea. He played 45 games (40 starts) for the Blues in 2023/24, scored 25 goals and provided 15 assists in all competitions.
Alvarez, on the other hand, played 54 times for Manchester City, but only 39 of those came from the start. Yet, he scored 19 goals and provided 13 assists under Guardiola.
Palmer definitely had the better season considering he played for a much-weaker Chelsea side.
However, if the Blues can splash the big bucks and unite them at Stamford Bridge next season, they could become a force together.