It’s official – Julian Alvarez is no longer a Manchester City player after completing a transfer to Atletico Madrid.
The striker had been all set to make the move since last week, after the two clubs agreed a fee of around £82 million.
It has just been a case of getting it over the line, and the transfer has now been completed. Alvarez has now become City’s new record player sale as a result.
In the end, it was a fleeting visit at City for Alvarez.
He joined the club in the summer of 2022 at the same time as Erling Haaland.
He made 103 appearances for the club, scoring 36 goals and making 18 assists.
Alvarez has ended up leaving City on good terms, despite some whispers that Pep Guardiola had not been happy behind the scenes with him deciding to go to the Olympics. The manager also gave a blunt reply when Alvarez’s comments about lacking game time were put to him during pre-season.
But Alvarez leaves in a good way, and director of football Txiki Begiristain has been speaking about the departing Argentine.
Txiki Begiristain hails Julian Alvarez’s ‘first-class’ attitude as Atletico Madrid sign striker from Man City
It was a good two years at City for Alvarez.
He joined at the same time as Haaland, but still got plenty of opportunities to play.
He just didn’t necessarily start all the time, and was probably not someone Pep would play in his ‘best’ City XI.
That is why he has left, ultimately. Alvarez will start week in, week out for Atleti – and he cannot be blamed for wanting that.
He made some great contributions for City – and director of football Txiki Begiristain says that the player’s attitude was simply ‘first-class’ the whole time he was here.
He said (via mancity.com): “Everyone at Manchester City wishes Julian all the very best with the next stage of his career – he has been a pleasure to work with.
“His attitude has been first-class since he first walked through the door here. That’s why he has improved so much.
“The trophies he has won already tell their own story – he is a winner. I look forward to watching him develop further in the remainder of his career.”
City fans now await who will replace Alvarez. the club may dip into the transfer market, or Pep could turn to someone like Oscar Bobb or new first-team option James McAtee.
Good luck, Julian
- READ MORE: How Julian Alvarez reacted to Man City’s Community Shield win amid imminent Atletico Madrid move
So Alvarez has now officially departed, and it is a deal that really does suit all parties.
He will be the main man at Atletico Madrid, and City have received a very good fee for a player who was playing second fiddle to Haaland and would not get in City’s best team over the likes of Phil Foden or Kevin De Bruyne.
It was a great couple of years for him at the Etihad, and there is no doubt he made important contributions during the Treble-winning campaign, and the winning of a fourth straight Premier League title.
He deserves well wishes from the fans, and it will be interesting to see how he gets on with Atleti under Diego Simeone. After developing so well under Guardiola, he will surely smash it.
