The agent of Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez has claimed Liverpool held interest in signing the player from Manchester City before he left England last summer.
Liverpool are set to take on Newcastle United in the EFL Cup final on Sunday, but there are question marks about whether Darwin Nunez or Diogo Jota should start up front.
Both are hard workers but they have only scored 10 goals between them in the Premier League this term, and the duo have struggled with injuries and form.
Nunez is expected to leave Anfield in the summer transfer window, and his exit would open the door for a new number nine to come into the club.
Julian Alvarez’s agent Fernando Hidalgois claims that Liverpool were interested in the forward’s signature last summer and refused to rule out a move in the upcoming window, telling WinWin: “I confirm that Liverpool were interested in Julian last season.
“As for the future, this is not the right time to talk about it, as Julian is competing in important tournaments and is fully focused on them.”
Alvarez joined Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2024-25 for a reported fee in the region of £80m, and it would undoubtedly take a large offer to tempt the Spanish side into selling.
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Alvarez in profile
Alvarez has scored 24 goals and provided six assists for club and country this term, netting seven times and providing one assist in 10 Champions League games in 2024-25.
The Argentinian is not a pure number nine and is instead at his best when he is able to combine with teammates in close proximity.
It should also be noted that his experience with Manchester City could prove invaluable considering he has shown that he is capable of succeeding in the Premier League having scored 11 goals and provided eight assists for Pep Guardiola‘s side in 2023-24.
Alvarez’s injury record has few blemishes, with the attacker on track to have featured in at least 31 league games for three consecutive seasons.
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Alvarez or Isak?
Liverpool will try to do everything they can to keep Mohamed Salah at the football club, and if the Egyptian opts to remain on Merseyside, then it would be sensible to look at ways of maximising his impact.
Alvarez has been deployed by the Argentinian national team as a runner for Lionel Messi, using his energy to get the best out of his ageing teammate.
Salah is immensely gifted but he is 32 years old and will need energetic partners in attack the older he gets, and asking Alexander Isak to play as a facilitator for the winger could be dangerous given the striker’s history of muscle injuries.
Alvarez in fact covered 96.5km in the Champions League this season, the most distance of any Atletico Madrid player, while also recording the fourth fastest speed amongst his teammates (34.2km/h).
Perhaps Liverpool would be wise to avoid signing Isak, but the Reds’ targets will likely depend on the future of talisman Salah.
