Chelsea and Manchester United have been warned that pursuing a deal for Julian Alvarez is not going to help them of their bid to catch Premier League rivals Arsenal.<\/p>\n
Alvarez has spent the last two seasons at Atletico Madrid after joining from Manchester City for \u00a382million, but has been strongly linked with a return to England ahead of the summer transfer window.<\/p>\n
Arsenal and Chelsea have each been heavily linked with moves for Alvarez, who won the league twice with City, while reports in Spain suggest that United are also keen on the Argentine.<\/p>\n
Despite a comparatively goal-shy yr in Diego Simeone\u2019s side, it is claimed that Atletico will demand in excess of \u20ac100million (\u00a386m) for any club trying to prise Alvarez away from the Spanish capital.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, former Premier League midfielder Andy Townsend just isn’t convinced that spending that sort of money on the 26-year-old is the sort of signing that may help Chelsea and United close the gap on the present league leaders.<\/p>\n
\u2018I like Julian Alvarez and I do know he\u2019s scored goals at Atletico Madrid but I\u2019ve never quite seen him as someone who would make the difference for anybody else at the highest of the Premier League to actually kick on and go and grab the league out of Arsenal\u2019s hands,\u2019 he told Boyle Sports.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n \u2018He\u2019s clearly a clever footballer. He\u2019s finisher. He had that sensible knack for coming on and making the difference for City. <\/p>\n \u2018But I don\u2019t know if he\u2019s got enough to are available in and play because the starting striker within the Premier League and be the difference for a few of those teams attempting to close the door on Arsenal. I don\u2019t quite see that.\u2019<\/p>\n Nonetheless, Townsend did concede that a scarcity of world-class strikers out there may force clubs to pay over the percentages for a player like Alvarez somewhat than take a risk on developing a younger attacker.<\/p>\n \u2018So many persons are at all times searching for that individual. Who\u2019s going to are available in and do what Harry Kane has done at Bayern Munich or what Erling Haaland does for City?\u2019 he added.<\/p>\n \u2018There aren\u2019t many on the market, you recognize. Return to my era and we could have had an hour on one of the best strikers in world football but they\u2019re just not on the market now because only a few players can play the best way Haaland does where he doesn\u2019t get so involved in the final play. <\/p>\n \u2018Only a few can play like that, not be involved and still get those devastating numbers that he does. Serie A used to at all times have a glut of top class strikers but they\u2019re not there anymore in Italy. <\/p>\n \u2018Kylian Mbappe is spoken for but I still query when we’re going to see him at his best in a Real Madrid shirt because I don\u2019t think he\u2019s been anywhere near his top level for them yet, even with the numbers he\u2019s got. He\u2019s still probably the last word number nine of the fashionable game.<\/p>\n Yes – he’s top-of-the-line strikers on this planet![\"Atletico](\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2190126031.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646\")
\t<\/div>![\"Manchester](\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2271274216.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646\")
\t<\/div>Would Alvarez be signing?<\/h3>\n
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