If Liverpool is to go after Julian Alvarez again this summer, then the Atletico Madrid star has already told the Reds exactly what he would expect at Anfield.
Alvarez is the latest name to be linked with a move to Liverpool, with reports suggesting the Reds are eyeing up a sensational transfer just a year after he made the switch to Madrid from Manchester City. It’s suggested that a move to Merseyside was discussed last summer, with Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes having flown to Spain to hold talks with Alvarez’s agent.
His international teammate Alexis Mac Allister was also said to have been part of the charm offensive, only for a potential deal to have fallen through after City insisted that Luis Diaz moved in the opposite direction.
Alvarez’s agent, Fernando Hidalgo, has since confirmed Liverpool wanted to sign the 25-year-old, but has not discussed whether that interest could be revisited this summer.
“I confirm that Liverpool were interested in Julian last season,” Hidalgo told winwin.com. “As for the future, it’s not the right time to talk about it, because Julian is participating in important tournaments and is fully focused on them.”
Nevertheless, Anfield Watch claims that Liverpool has retained an interest in Alvarez, even though it would take a bid of more than $129M to take him away from Atletico. It’s also suggested that Darwin Nunez could be used as a makeweight in a deal, with Diego Simeone said to be a huge fan of the Uruguayan.
Whether Alvarez himself would be interested in a move to Anfield is unknown at this stage, although what is clear is that he wouldn’t be satisfied with a bit-part role with the Reds.
The Argentina international left City last year after playing 100 times across two-and-a-half seasons, during which time he won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and the Champions League. He had grown frustrated though at playing second fiddle to Erling Haaland, and was left particularly unhappy after Pep Guardiola limited his opportunities during City’s run to becoming European champions in 2023.
“The truth is that City, since I arrived, trusted me,” Alvarez told Infobae last month. “They brought me from River [Plate] to Europe. I played a lot of games, scored a lot of goals, we won titles. That was perfect.
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“And if I had stayed there I would have been comfortable too. I always said that I am very grateful to the club, but I did need something. Something inside me told me that I needed a different challenge, to look for something new, which was not motivation, because I will always want to continue for more, but something that, I don’t know… A different challenge in my career. And I felt that here could be my place to develop better, to find my best version as a footballer. So it was a bit because of that.
“I do want to play the most important games. As I said, I don’t know, in the Champions League final; I didn’t get in. In the semi-final I didn’t play much, and I would have liked to play in those kinds of games. And with what I said before, I was thinking about a change.”