A striker is set to be high on the shopping list for Liverpool this summer, and Julian Alvarez could well be one of the options being considered.
The Reds look to be wasting little time in strengthening Arne Slot’s squad following this season’s Premier League title triumph. Despite the blow of Trent Alexander-Arnold leaving for Real Madrid, it already looks as though a replacement has been found, with Jeremie Frimpong having already undergone the first part of his medical.
He looks set to join Giorgi Mamardashvili in arriving at Anfield this summer, with a deal for the Valencia goalkeeper having been reached last summer, and Milos Kerkez could be joining them soon. Talks with Bournemouth over the left-back are said to be advancing as Liverpool looks to thrash out a deal with the Cherries.
Next on the list will likely be a striker, although that one may take a bit more work. Plenty of names have been linked with the Reds, with Alexander Isak perhaps the most eye-catching, although the Newcastle striker’s price tag may well rule him out.
Alvarez then may prove to be the next name considered. Although his signing would prove to be complicated as well, having only spent a year at Atletico Madrid, there is perhaps more going for the Argentina international.
In Darwin Nunez, Liverpool may have the ideal bargaining tool, with Atletico having been linked with the Uruguayan. What’s more, the Reds’ interest in Alvarez is already well established, having made a play for him when it became clear he would be leaving Manchester City last year.
(Image: Getty Images)
Since then, Alvarez has gone about showing City exactly what it’s missing. The 25-year-old has 29 goals and six assists from 53 appearances across all competitions this season.
Having scored his 16th and 17th La Liga goals on Sunday against Real Betis, Alvarez is now sixth on the competition’s top scorers list. To put that into context, Kylian Mbappe, Robert Lewandowski and Osasuna’s Ante Budimir have managed to hit 20 league goals in Spain this season.
And his record is perhaps even more impressive considering he is playing for a side that is perhaps more renowned for its defensive capabilities under Diego Simeone. Indeed, only Athletic Bilbao boasts a meaner defense than Atletico this season.
Crucially, what cannot be denied is that he would undoubtedly be an upgrade on Nunez.
Learn more
According to Footy Stats, Alvarez’s 17 league goals have come from 54 shots, with 35 of those being on target. With a shot conversion rate of 27.78 per cent, and 3.6 shots taken per goal, that is much superior to Nunez’s 18.52 per cent conversion rate, with 5.4 shots per goal, having scored just five times in the league from 27 shots.
In fact, Alvarez’s record isn’t too far off Mohamed Salah, who boasts a shot conversion rate of 28.57 per cent, with 3.5 shots per goal.
Presented with the amount of chances Salah gets on a regular basis, Liverpool would have perhaps the ideal striker on board – if it can get a deal over the line this summer.
