Man Utd set for massive payday from Julian Alvarez transfer domino

Tom Weber

• 17 Mar 2026 19:02 GMT
• 4 min read

News

Manchester United could be the surprise beneficiaries of a Julian Alvarez transfer as Atletico Madrid want to replace him with Marseille forward Mason Greenwood.

The Argentina international is set to be one of the protagonists of the upcoming transfer window. Alvarez is being courted by numerous European giants, and he is understood to be open to leaving Atletico Madrid, who have struggled to challenge for major silverware.

His preferred destination is Barcelona, but with concerns over their financial situation, Alvarez could instead be on his way back to the Premier League, where Arsenal and Chelsea are eyeing a potential deal.

Current ETV

Julián Alvarez

F (C)

Atlético Madrid

Julián Alvarez

F (C)

Atlético Madrid

€129.2M

ETV Range

€116.3M - €142.2M

View full profile

Unwittingly, Man Utd could stand to benefit handsomely from such a transfer. That is because Atletico Madrid have earmarked Greenwood as a possible replacement for Alvarez after starring for Marseille, according to TEAMtalk.

Man Utd, who sold the disgraced academy graduate in 2024, are entitled to 50 per cent of the profits from his next transfer. Previous reports have claimed that the 24-year-old could fetch as much as €100 million this summer.

Greenwood to leave Marseille

Greenwood is widely expected to be on the move this summer following Roberto de Zerbi's exit from Marseille. Though their relationship wasn't without problems, the Italian was a big supporter of the Englishman.

It was De Zerbi who insisted that Marseille should sign Greenwood in 2024 when he was looking for a new club following a loan at Getafe. Widespread condemnation had forced Man Utd to abandon their plan of reintegrating the attacker after his charges of attempted rape, assault occasioning actual bodily harm were dropped.

Marseille fans were similarly opposed to the signing of Greenwood - with even the mayor speaking out against it - but the Ligue 1 club pressed ahead, agreeing a €26m deal with major concessions to Man Utd.

On the pitch, his time in France has been successful. He finished as Ligue 1's joint-top scorer last season and has netted 25 goals in all competitions this term.

However, there have been question marks over his commitment and attitude. Indeed, it has been claimed that sporting director Medhi Benatia already wanted to cash in on him last summer.

With De Zerbi now gone, Greenwood is likely to leave this summer. In addition to Atleti, he is also fielding interest from Saudi Arabia and Juventus. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Greenwood is more likely to command a fee in the region of €50m, rather than €100m.

Football transfer news headlines today

Transfer Rumours: Arsenal given Ousmane Dembele hope as initial talks revealed

Enzo Fernandez 'in talks' to leave Chelsea

Arsenal ready to agree Myles Lewis-Skelly transfer

Chelsea told how they can sign Morgan Rogers this summer

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•Google Play

•App Store