Nedum Onuoha has claimed that Manchester City could look to offer Julian Alvarez a new contract.
Earlier this month, it was reported that Barcelona have their eyes on Alvarez due to him apparently having an affordable release clause worth €50m (£43m) in his contract at City.
This has since led to one pundit and former City player having his say on the matter.
Onuoha downplays Alvarez release clause issue
Speaking in a recent edition of the ESPN FC podcast, Onuoha had this to say about Alvarez and his contract situation.
He said: “If it is €50m, who is that to benefit? I also think with some of these players, when they sign, if they’re good enough for the club they sign more than one deal. So that first deal was the first element, it’s almost like the clause is to protect the club if it’s not going well. I wouldn’t be surprised if he got offered one in this next year to 18 months.”
Back in the 2022 January transfer window, City struck a deal worth £14m to sign the striker from River Plate before loaning him back to the Argentine club for the remainder of the 2022/23 season.
Since making his move to the Etihad Stadium, the 23-year-old has made 62 appearances across all competitions, scoring 23 goals and delivering 10 assists in the process.
Back in March, the World Cup winner put pen to paper on a one-year extension to his contract at the Manchester club, which highlights how much City value him and want him to be around for the foreseeable future.
With Alvarez featuring in all 13 of City’s games in all competitions this season, scoring six goals and providing five assists, this showcases how much of an important figure he is for Pep Guardiola and why the club will be keen to make sure the attacker doesn’t get his head turned by a move elsewhere.
In fact, his performance against Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League last month was described as “superb” by pundit Ally McCoist.
Regardless of whether or not Alvarez has a release clause in his City contract, we feel that the club should make sure they do all they can to keep hold of the striker and stop him from potentially looking to make a move elsewhere.
