Atletico Madrid make stunning new bid to sign Arsenal and Chelsea target

Atletico Madrid have launched an audacious bid to sign Julian Alvarez from Manchester City.

The La Liga giants are reportedly close to agreeing a deal for the Argentine forward.

A total agreement has not yet been reached with the Premier League champions but talks have progressed to the stage of negotiating a final price and payment structure, according to The Athletic.

Alvarez, who was also a reported transfer target for Arsenal, Chelsea and PSG, is said to have been keen on a move to Spain and personal terms are not expected to be a stumbling block.

It’s understood City will receive a fee in excess of £70m for the 2022 World Cup winner, which is five times the £14m they paid River Plate for him in January 2022.

Pep Guardiola previously made it clear he would prefer to keep the 24-year-old and said he was ‘counting on him’ being at the club next season.

But the City boss did concede that ‘decisions will be made all together’ when Alvarez returns to the camp following Argentina’s Copa America success and the Olympic Games this summer.

Atletico had failed in attempts to sign Alvarez earlier in the window but he said he ‘didn’t like being left out of important matches’ for City.

He’s won two Premier League titles, the Champions League and FA Cup with City but has been forced to settle for being second choice to prolific goalscorer Erling Haaland.

When Guardiola was asked if he had any update on Alvarez’s future after Man City’s 4-2 pre-season win over Chelsea, he stood firm on his intentions to keep him.

‘No news,’ he said. ‘I don’t have anything to say. He will come back. I count on him, but he said in the news that decisions will be made all together.’

On rumours suggesting Alvarez wanted to leave, Guardiola added: ‘I knew he said he will think about it.

‘Once he has finished thinking, his agent will call Txiki [Begiristain] and we will see what happens.

‘I know he wants to play important moments. But the other ones [do] too. 18, 19 players as well want to play the big games.

‘I read he wants to think about it. Okay, think about it and after that he will inform us what he wants to do.’

Alvarez told TyC Sports this week: ‘I heard what Guardiola said. I don’t have much to say about it. I never said anything bad.

‘I just said that I was going to think about it like I do every season to make an analysis of what happened last season, a projection of what may come.

‘I always say that I am comfortable and happy at City, which is a great club. So I didn’t say anything bad.’

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