Julian Alvarez refused to rule out the potential for a summer move away from Atletico Madrid after the emphatic Champions League victory over Tottenham.
Diego Simeone’s side all but secured their place within the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 5-2 last-16 first-leg win over struggling Spurs.
Atletico raced right into a 3-0 lead inside quarter-hour on the Metropolitano Stadium due to goals from Marcos Llorente, Antoine Griezmann and Alvarez.
The hosts’ dominance was as much to do with Tottenham’s dismal display than their very own excellence, with goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky making two mistakes before being subbed off after only 17 minutes.
His substitute, Tottenham No. 1 Guglielmo Vicario, conceded again minutes later however the visitors did a minimum of get one goal back before half-through through Pedro Porro.
But any hopes of a shocking comeback were quickly dashed as Alvarez scored again to place Atletico Madrid 5-1 up.
Dominic Solanke scored Tottenham’s second late on however it was still a desperately disappointing night for Spurs, who’re on the verge of a disastrous season.
Your football fix
Metro‘s Head of Sport James Goldman delivers punchy evaluation, transfer talk and his tackle the week’s biggest stories direct to your inbox every week.
Enroll here, it’s an open goal.
Five straight Premier League defeats has left the north London side sixteenth within the table, just some extent above the relegation zone with nine games remaining.
Tottenham sacked Thomas Frank last month but there are strong calls for his substitute Igor Tudor to also bite the bullet after losing his first 4 games in charge.
Alvarez praised Atletico’s dominant performance against Spurs before surprisingly hinting he may very well be on the move in the summertime amid interest from the Premier League.
Arsenal and Chelsea have each been heavily linked with the Argentina international, who won back-to-back league titles at Manchester City before his £82m move to Spain in 2024.
Asked whether he can be at Atletico Madrid next season, Alvarez said: ‘I don’t know, I could be, or I won’t. I’m joyful. I’m fascinated about the daily.’
Simeone, meanwhile, urged his Atletico star to remain on the club ‘for a few years’ after his side’s emphatic win over Tottenham.
‘He looks joyful to me,’ Simeone said. ‘He’s scoring goals, if you happen to have a look at the teams he’s been at [River Plate and Man City], Atletico is the team where he’s scored probably the most goals.
‘He looks committed, positive. There isn’t much difference between this season and last season by way of the goals he’s scored.
‘Let’s hope he can stay for a few years at Atletico Madrid, and we will keep constructing a team in order that essential players wish to stay.’
The Gunners spent £64m to sign Viktor Gyokeres last summer and while he has began to be more prolific in front of goal – scoring 15 times in all competitions – there remain concerns over his all-round play.
Chelsea are believed to be fascinated with Alvarez despite Joao Pedro’s vivid first season at Stamford Bridge following his £60m move from Brighton.
Alvarez has also been linked with a move to Atletico’s La Liga rivals Barcelona and it has been suggested that will be his favoured destination if he was to depart.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to an internet
browser that
supports HTML5
video
Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has urged his former club to win the race to sign Alvarez, nevertheless, after being impressed by his spell at Manchester City.
‘For me, Alvarez can be an ideal addition to the squad,’ told Metro via BetMGM. ‘There’ll all the time be people coming and getting into the summer since it’s a giant squad and so they can’t keep everyone joyful.
‘But Alvarez can be a improbable choice to have together with his pace and what we saw at Man City.
‘It was all the time going to be difficult for him fidgeting with Erling Haaland there but when he did start and when he did play, he was all the time full of life.
‘He’s a young man too, so if he’s available it’s a yes for me. We know the way Arteta likes to work with young players to make them higher so I feel it could be an ideal addition, definitely.’
Before the second leg of the last-16 Champions League clash, Tottenham will look to ease their growing relegation fears with one other tricky game against Liverpool at Anfield.
Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, return to La Liga motion against Getafe sitting third within the table.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the newest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: Peter Schmeichel goals fresh dig at Arsenal after Bayern Munich thrash Atalanta
MORE: Bayer Leverkusen boss makes Arsenal Champions League claim
MORE: Peter Schmeichel accuses Igor Tudor of ‘killing’ Tottenham player’s profession