Julian Alvarez heads to the World Cup aiming to fire Argentina to back-to-back triumphs amid the distraction of being the subject of one of the most sensational transfer bids ever made. The 26-year-old is at the centre of an intriguing three-way La Liga tug-of-war, with current club Atletico Madrid trying to keep hold of their prized asset while rivals Real and Barcelona attempt to snatch him away.
Real president Florentino Perez made good on his election promise to make a 150m euro offer for an unnamed "galactico" player who, it transpired, after much speculation, was Alvarez. But that astonishing bid was laughed off by counterparts across the city. Real Madrid's £130m Alvarez bid has been rejected.
“Real Madrid's £130m bid for Julian Alvarez was rejected by Atletico Madrid.”
Alvarez became a fan favourite during his two-year stay at Manchester City, where he won six major trophies and played a role in the Treble-winning team. But the striker wanted to leave Etihad Stadium as he was unhappy at playing a deputy role to Erling Haaland, instead wanting to be the main man elsewhere. Former City boss Pep Guardiola was always open in his view that wantaway players were free to leave, providing the asking price was met.
In August 2024, Atletico agreed an £81.5m deal to sign Alvarez, providing City with a hefty profit on a player they signed for only £14.1m and one that became their most expensive sale. "There was never any kind of problem," Alvarez said in a podcast last year. "I simply told him [Guardiola] how I felt - that I wanted more minutes in some matches where I knew I wouldn't get them or simply wasn't getting them. Of course he understood. Players always want more minutes, they want to grow, they want to play the big moments. And if I felt I wasn't going to have them there, he gave me the freedom to choose my path."
Alvarez scored 36 goals in 106 appearances for City. At Atletico, he has managed 49 goals and 17 assists in 106 games. He received high praise from France great Thierry Henry who said on The Overlap: "One of my favourite number nines out there is Julian Alvarez. Putting pressure, playing alone, he can hold it up, he has played at the Olympic Games, Copa America and I didn't hear him saying he is tired. The way he plays, I just like him."
More importantly for the player, he has been given the opportunity by boss Diego Simeone to feature in the biggest games, something he so desperately wanted to do. This season, Alvarez scored in the Copa del Rey.