Man City make enormous profit on Julian Alvarez as Atletico agree fee

Manchester City have agreed to sell Julian Alvarez to Atletico in a deal that could reach £82m.

Alvarez, signed by City for £14m in 2022 from River Plate, arrived in Manchester that summer and was a useful back-up to Erling Haaland as Pep Guardiola's side clinched the Treble. He then stepped in ably for Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne last season when they suffered injuries, ending the campaign with more minutes than nearly anyone else in the squad.

With victories with Argentina in the World Cup and Copa America in that time as well, the 24-year-old has a hugely impressive CV. And after making it clear that he would like to play more as a No.9 - something not possible at City while Haaland is around - Atletico were convinced to swoop for him.

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City do not hold players against their will if they want to leave and the offer is good enough, and it is felt that a deal worth up to £82m - more than five times what they paid for him two years ago - is a good price. The initial fee is thought to be around £64m (€75m).

It remains to be seen if the Blues will go into the transfer market this summer to replace Alvarez. Guardiola said recently that it would be considered if a player decided to leave but that the squad would mostly look the same as it did last season.

However, Alvarez's minutes will not be replaced easily and City have already made well over £120m in player sales this summer so have the money to spend if they can find the right talent.