Real Madrid ready €100m bid for Man City star Barcelona are desperate to sign
Robin Bairner
- 27 Oct 2023 12:29 BST
- 3 min read
Real Madrid are ready to pay Manchester City €100 million to sign Julian Alvarez, according to reports from Spain.
Los Blancos are ready to take what is described as a “bold step” to deny Barcelona the possibility of signing the Argentina international attacker.
Real Madrid are known to be in the market for a centre-forward, having failed to replace Karim Benzema since he surprisingly departed the club in the summer to move to the Saudi Pro League.
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PSG’s Kylian Mbappe is expected to be the player that Los Blancos look to recruit, with the striker out of contract in June 2024 and therefore on course to be a free agent. But the France international is mercurial and the Ligue 1 champions remain optimistic about him signing a new deal.
Other options are, therefore, being explored, with Santiago Gimenez of Feyenoord another potential arrival – and someone who might fit Real Madrid better than Mbappe.
But president Florentino Perez is also looking at the top end of the transfer market and has identified Alvarez as a potential blockbuster signing.
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Alvarez’s Man City future unclear
Fichajes now reports that Real Madrid are willing to pay Manchester City €100m for the 23-year-old, who is under contract until 2028.
This type of bid, either in January or next summer, is likely to blow Barcelona’s hopes of signing the player out of the water.
While City are unlikely to be willing to sell the World Cup winner, Alvarez’s position on a move may depend on how extensively he is used by Pep Guardiola’s side until the end of the season.
He has enjoyed a prolonged run in the first team due to a serious injury to Kevin De Bruyne, but he could lose that position when the Belgian returns. Meanwhile, there is little chance of him earning regular football in his favoured centre-forward role due to the presence of Erling Haaland.
Alvarez has seven goals and five assists across 15 appearances this season.
