Julian Alvarez’s much-reported transfer from Manchester City to Atletico Madrid has finally been confirmed.
Alvarez’s exit from the Etihad Stadium is set in stone, with City now having Erling Haaland as the only natural striker on their books now.
Diego Simeone was in contact with Alvarez, according to Fabrizio Romano before he even jetted off to the Spanish capital to get the deal over the line.
Recently, Pep Guardiola opened the door to the chances of Manchester City bringing in a successor to the Argentine in the summer transfer window, as quoted by journalist Sam Lee: “I don’t know yet, we talk every day, we’ll see what will happen. It could happen, it could not happen. We will see.”
Only time will tell whether Alvarez will be able to make City feel like they miss his presence in their squad.
- Who is Julian Alvarez? The story of the striker who won it all at Man City before joining Atletico Madrid
Bernardo sends brief farewell message to Alvarez after he seals Atletico Madrid transfer
It will be interesting to see the names the Sky Blues are linked with following the £100,000-a-week man’s exit.
Alvarez took to Instagram to announce his departure from the Etihad Stadium, thanking the supporters, his teammates, the directors and the technical staff for how much they helped him during his time at Manchester City.
Bernardo Silva commented: “Juli”, followed by a blue heart emoji on his post.
The likes of Grealish and Dias commented on Alvarez’s post as well.
Julian Alvarez deserves his credit for his spell at Man City
Joining England’s dominant force in Manchester City from River Plate at 22 years of age, several players would have wilted under the pressure.
However, Alvarez seemed to embrace the challenge of playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world and despite him struggling to displace Haaland, he remained an extremely useful weapon for Guardiola; both as a striker and as a makeshift number 10.
The 24-year-old’s work rate was second to none and after having won multiple trophies at City, he deserves to be lauded for his time at the club as he joins Atletico Madrid; a top club where he could thrive as well.
Having learned as much as he has from Pep Guardiola, Alvarez could utilise such teachings to further improve under Diego Simeone.
