Chelsea are reportedly ‘advancing’ in negotiations to trump Arsenal in the race to sign Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez, as per a recent Argentinian report.
The Blues decided to revamp the centre-forward position by purchasing João Pedro and Liam Delap from Brighton and Hove Albion and Ipswich Town, respectively, last summer.
The Brazilian has enjoyed a promising debut campaign at Stamford Bridge thus far this season, scoring 12 goals and registering five assists in 34 appearances across all competitions.
However, the Englishman has struggled with fitness problems this term; as a result, he hasn’t been at his best, netting only twice in 22 matches in all tournaments.
Now, as per a recent South American report (via TEAMtalk), although Emanuel Emegha is set to join at the end of this season, Chelsea are considering signing a new marquee No.9 and have earmarked Alvarez as a serious option.
Although Arsenal are also interested in the World Cup winner, Chelsea are leading the race after opening formal talks with the player’s representatives last week and are ‘advancing’ in negotiations.
Alvarez has become frustrated with life at Los Rojiblancos, so the intermediaries close to the player have started exploring options in the market. If the player were to return to the Premier League, he aims to move to London.
Battle
With the forward’s existing deal set to run until 2030, Atletico Madrid are in a strong position to demand a big fee if they are forced to cash-in on him.
They splashed around £82m to sign him a couple of years ago and want at least that much, but could even demand up to £100m.
Alvarez is a Premier League-proven player, winning two league titles with Manchester City. He even won the Champions League under Pep Guardiola.
The forward hasn’t just showcased his qualities in club football; he has won the World Cup and Copa America with the Argentina national team.
Alvarez is one of the best forwards in the world and would be a great coup for the West London club should they eventually manage to secure his services by defeating the North London club in this race.
