Manchester City are closing in on a new deal for World Cup winning attacker Julian Alvarez as they look to fight off interest from Barcelona for the forward.
Alvarez joined the Cityzens in January 2022, but remained on loan in Argentina before making the switch to the Etihad in the summer.
And he hit the ground running, despite the competition from Erling Haaland, with the Argentine having already found the back of the net 5 times in the Premier League this season and scoring four times on the way to helping the Albiceleste lift the World Cup in Qatar.
Julian Alvarez of Argentina celebrates his goal with Lionel Messi of Argentina during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 semi-final match between Argentina v Croatia at the Lusail Stadium, on December 13, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. Photo by David Niviere/ABACAPRESS. 2M292WP Julian Alvarez of Argentina celebrates his goal with Lionel Messi of Argentina during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 semi-final match between Argentina v Croatia at the Lusail Stadium, on December 13, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. Photo by David Niviere/ABACAPRESS.COM (Alamy Stock Photo)
Now, as per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, he is set to receive a new contract in the coming weeks, in order to reflect his newfound importance to the squad.
Though he is currently under contract until 2027, it is expected that he will be offered a new one which will feature an added year, keeping him at the northwest club until 2028.
The deal would also include a ‘significant pay rise’, with Alvarez currently among the lowest paid players in the Manchester City squad, while Romano claims that ‘all parties [are] confident to reach an agreement’ over the new contract.
As it stands, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan and Aymeric Laporte have all been linked with a Camp Nou switch in the summer, while Joao Cancelo is also reportedly a target, though whether the Spanish side will be able to match the City asking price for any of these stars remains to be seen.