Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid transfer has obvious £140m Man City roadblock

Manchester City have a stunning incentive to keep Julian Alvarez amid reported transfer interest from Atletico Madrid.

The World Cup winner has been forced to play a limited role in the second half of the season following injury returns for Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne along with the scintillating form of Phil Foden. Even though Alvarez averaged 64.4 minutes per game in all competitions this season, he scored 19 goals and grabbed 13 assists with 20 of those contributions coming in Premier League action.

The Argentina international was regularly Pep Guardiola's secret weapon however several absences saw him thrusted into a prominent role. Alvarez bagged four goals and one assist in five wins during the absence of Haaland to injury with all of those proving decisive.

READ MORE: Chelsea complete move for Man City treble winner as 'dream' transfer outlined

READ MORE: Manchester United appoint former Man City and Chelsea figure in further Ineos shake-up

Considering his impact since arriving at Etihad Stadium back in January 2022, it is no surprise that European clubs have taken an interest in the services of Alvarez. Barcelona have been long-term admirers and now Spanish outlet MARCA are claiming that Atletico want to sign the former River Plate star.

Alvarez has four years left on his contract, and with City already reluctant sellers, they have been given a further incentive to keep him at the club. Earlier this month, CIES Football Observatories released their top 100 most valuable players in the world.

Real Madrid starlet Jude Bellingham, valued at €280.4million (£238.6m) is unsurprisingly top of the list while Alvarez's strike partner Erling Haaland closely follows in second at €255.3million (£217.2m).