Journalist reveals ‘genuine’ Man City ‘fears’ that vital star will abandon Guardiola as Euro giants prep huge bid

Manchester City have been told they need to take seriously reports in Spain that Atletico Madrid are set to launch a huge offer for a star Pep Guardiola simply cannot afford to lose, amid claims the player has already had his head following a promise made to him.

Diego Simone’s side are considered one of LaLiga’s top forces, last winning the title back in 2020/21 and having been known as the country’s third-most successful side behind Barcelona and city rivals Real Madrid. However, a somewhat disappointing season last time out saw them finish down in fourth place with surprise package Girona usurping them for third place.

As a result, Atletico Madrid are preparing for something of a rebuild this summer with a number of players seemingly past their best and no longer wanted by Simeone allowed to move on. To that end, Mario Hermoso and Memphis Depay have been allowed to leave as free agents, while one-time indispensable star Saul Niguez has been allowed to join Sevilla on loan.

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The revolution is unlikely to stop there either, with Joao Felix unlikely to hang around after returning to Wanda Metropolitano from a season’s loan with Barcelona, while Euro 2024 winning captain Alvaro Morata has already departed for AC Milan.

Morata was always seen as a workmanlike centre forward, who rarely let anyone down. Having scored 21 times last season in 48 games, the €13m exit clause in his contract was always going to represent an issue. As such, it was no surprise when Milan pounced to bring Morata back to Italy for a third spell in his nomadic career.

Atletico Madrid plot massive move for Man City striker to replace Morata

According to reports in Spain, Atletico are ready to go big in their quest to find a replacement for Morata and it is claimed that Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez is the man right at the top of their wishlist.

Armed with a sizeable transfer kitty, it is reported that Atleti are ‘committed’ to getting a deal done for the 24-year-old World Cup winner and are preparing a mammoth offer in the region of €70m (£58.9m) to twist City’s arm.

Alvarez, for his part, is understood to be flattered by their quest to sign him and, knowing he would like to play more minutes after being somewhat put in the shade at the Etihad by the formidable presence of goal machine Erling Haaland, is more than keen to make the switch.

Furthermore, Simeone is a legendary figure in Argentina and playing under the iconic Atletico boss is thought to be something of huge interest to Alvarez.

Now transfer journalist Dean Jones has revealed to Givemesport that City have genuine fears that Alvarez will look to force through the move this summer.

“The Atletico links to Alvarez are to be taken seriously, there is a certain degree of concern at City about this one. They don’t want to lose him, far from it, but I am told that the player fancies it and when that is the case you never know what could happen,” Jones stated.

“In terms of value, City would rate him upwards of £80m so that definitely adds to the difficulty Atletico would have with pulling off a deal like this. I have seen reports suggesting a loan but I don’t know how that would be tempting to City.”

Man City transfers: Guardiola cannot afford to lose Alvarez 

Jones claims any formal offer from Atletico could see Chelsea look to match that offer with a bid of their own and TEAMtalk are able to confirm that the World Cup winner does also have serious admirers at Stamford Bridge.

Jones added: “Chelsea are being linked too and definitely have a level of interest, but the pull of living in Madrid and playing in LaLiga is believed to have real intrigue for Alvarez.”

Alvarez is a player City can ill-afford to lose. While he is often seen as just ‘Haaland’s stand-in’ the striker actually made 54 appearances in all competitions last season, with only 14 of those coming off the bench. Having managed 19 goals last season, he is clearly not as prolific as the Norwegian but is nonetheless a reliable source of goals and a player Guardiola clearly has a lot of faith in.

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And despite Haaland’s incredible presence – and the way in which he plays the game, such as quick bursts of pace – the Norwegian has shown himself prone to the odd injury.

That is why Alvarez is simply a player that City cannot afford to lose this summer. But with Atletico lurking and the promise of becoming the big fish in their very sizeable pond, it may be a move that proves too good for the player to turn down.

Since signing for City in a bargain £14m deal from River Plate, Alvarez has scored 36 goals and added 19 assists from 103 appearances. His contract at the Etihad runs until summer 2027.