The Parisians are the favourites to sign the Argentinian, while Arsenal are also keeping tabs on the Atlético Madrid striker
Atlético Madrid striker Julián Ávarez is a man in demand and there could be an intense battle for his signature this summer. The 26-year-old Argentina international still has four years to run on his contract with Los Colchoneros, but he has been linked with a move away as interest in him increases.
Barcelona are long time admirers of the former Manchester City forward, but financial constraints complicate their pursuit of him. The Catalan club have earmarked Álvarez as a possible replacement for Robert Lewandowski who looks set to move on when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Lewandowski does have an offer on the table to stay with the Blaugrana, but it appears the 38-year-old striker is leaning towards taking up a fresh challenge elsewhere as he enters the twilight of his career. Barcelona would ideally like to bring in a younger player to bolster their forward line in the event that the Polish star does move on.
PSG prepared to outbid Barcelona
With Barcelona still juggling the numbers, it appears that Paris Saint-Germain may have overtaken them in the race to sign Álvarez. The French club are believed to be prepared to offer Atlético Madrid more than the 100 million euros that Barcelona consider their upper limit.
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This, together with the fact that Atleti would prefer not to sell to a LaLiga rival and that the player would have a more lucrative contract in Paris, puts PSG in pole position.
Mundo Deportivo reports that Barcelona now internally believe that only the player’s own will can tip the scales back in their favour. If Álvarez wants to move to Barcelona, he will have to pressure Atleti into accepting a lower offer to allow him his preferred move, should that be his choice.
Arsenal also interested in Álvarez
Matters are further complicated for Barcelona by the fact that this may not be a two-horse race for Álvarez’s signature. English league-leaders Arsenal are also keeping tabs on the Argentine and are in a better financial position that the Blaugrana club.
Álvarez may feel he has unfinished business in England and a Premier League return could be tempting. The River Plate academy graduate spent two years at Manchester City, scoring 36 goals in 103 appearances.
After more regular minutes in Spain with Atleti, Álvarez has developed into a more dangerous and valuable player. With 49 goals in 106 games, it is no surprise that he is attracting interest from this season’s Champions League finalists.
