Atletico Madrid has no plans to let Julian Alvarez leave this summer, the club’s sporting director Carlos Busero has confirmed.
The former Manchester City player has been linked with an unlikely move to Anfield this summer following claims from his agent, Fernando Hidalgo, that the Reds tried to sign Alvarez last year. The World Cup winner departed City due to a lack of minutes, particularly in more high-profile games, signing for Atletico in a deal worth up to £82 million ($106 million).
That could have been different had Liverpool succeeded in its bid to sign the player and, following Hidalgo’s comments, reports emerged that the would-be Premier League champion may return for Alvarez this summer and attempt to lure the 25-year-old to Merseyside, with Darwin Nunez heading to Madrid as part of the deal.
However, that appears unlikely following Busero’s recent comments. “The talk about Liverpool submitting an official offer to sign our player Julian Alvarez is incorrect. What is being circulated is just rumors,” the club executive told 365 Scores.
“Alvarez is a key and important player in our project, and we have no intention of letting him go. The player himself is not paying attention to these rumors,” he added.
Alvarez, who scored 36 goals in 103 appearances for City and was part of the club’s treble-winning side, has continued his impressive displays for Atletico. The Argentinian has netted 23 times in 44 appearances for Diego Simeone’s team and was on target again in Sunday’s 4-2 defeat to Barcelona.
Despite his glut of winners’ medals in recent years, Alvarez’s first year in La Liga could end without silverware given Atletico trails rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid in the title race and was last week eliminated from the Champions League.
As for Liverpool’s pursuit of a striker, while Alvarez’s signature now appears less likely, there are several other options the Reds have been linked with. Alexander Isak is the most prominent name, while stars such as Victor Osimhen, Joao Pedro, Benjamin Sesko, and Jonathan David have also been mentioned.
It comes after insipid performances from attackers Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez at the weekend in the Carabao Cup final defeat to Newcastle. That has prompted calls of a need to recruit up front this summer, with Jamie Carragher among those stating Arne Slot must bring in a new striker.
