Julian Alvarez responds to claims he wants to leave Manchester City amid shock Chelsea links

Julian Alvarez has dismissed claims he is pushing for a move away from Manchester City and insists he is ‘comfortable and happy’ at the Etihad Stadium.

Alvarez has enjoyed two important if not groundbreaking seasons at Man City, scoring 17 goals as Pep Guardiola’s side secured a historic treble in 2022-23 and 19 as the Sky Blues clinched a record fourth successive Premier League title in 2023-24.

Despite often playing back-up to Golden Boot winner Erling Haaland, only seven Manchester City players earned more minutes than Alvarez last season.

Given Alvarez will never displace Haaland, who has scored a staggering 90 goals in 98 games for City, the Argentine has been linked with a move away from the Etihad in order to get more game time and increase his prominence.

According to reports, Atletico Madrid have already failed with a move for the 24-year-old, while Chelsea are thought to have expressed interest as they look to bring in summer signings for new manager Enzo Maresca.

Alvarez is clearly aware of the speculation over his future but says he is ‘happy’ at Manchester City, though he did not completely rule out the possibility of a move elsewhere.

‘A lot is being said about my future but I’m calm,’ he told SportsCenter. ‘I’m comfortable and happy at Manchester City. We’ll see what happens.’

French champions Paris Saint-Germain have also been linked with Alvarez but it appears as though he will be staying at Manchester City for at least one more season.

PSG are looking to sign a replacement for Kylian Mbappe, whose move to Real Madrid was confirmed last week, and are also looking at Napoli’s Victor Osimhen.

Chelsea have a healthy relationship with Man City, having signed Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling from the Premier League champions in recent years. Mateo Kovacic went the other way when he arrived at the Etihad last summer.

The Blues, who appointed ex-Leicester City boss Maresca as Pochettino’s replacement, struggled for goals last season, with only two players – Palmer and Nicolas Jackson – reaching double figures in the league.

Chelsea secured their first signing of the summer last week, bringing Tosin Adarabioyo to Stamford Bridge following the expiration of his deal with west London rivals Fulham.

‘Chelsea is a huge club and this is a full-circle moment for me. I was born three miles away from Stamford Bridge and made my professional debut there,’ the 26-year-old said.

‘I’m very excited and looking forward to helping push the club in the direction we want to go.’

Following Adarabioyo’s arrival, Chelsea are expected to offload academy graduate Trevoh Chalobah, who has attracted interest from Manchester United and Tottenham.

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