Man City’s first transfer target after Julian Alvarez sale emerges and it’s a huge surprise

Manchester City’s first transfer target after the expected sale of Julian Alvarez has emerged, surprising many fans.

City have reached an agreement to sell Alvarez to Atletico Madrid for £81.5 million, yielding a substantial profit on the £14 million they spent to sign the forward from Racing Club over two years ago.

The 24-year-old, who recently won the 2024 Copa America with Argentina, still needs to agree to personal terms with Atletico.

Despite playing a significant role in City’s fourth consecutive Premier League title last season, rumors of his departure have persisted. Alvarez will leave with 36 goals in 103 appearances for City, pushing Pep Guardiola’s side to find a replacement before the 2024/25 season begins next weekend.

According to The Telegraph, Wolves winger Pedro Neto has been identified as a potential successor at the Etihad Stadium.

Neto has attracted interest from City, though there is no certainty of a concrete offer at this stage. He has also been linked with Arsenal and Liverpool this summer after scoring two goals and providing nine assists in just 20 league appearances for Wolves last season.

The report suggests that if City opts not to bring in a player to replace Alvarez, Guardiola might integrate attacking midfielder James McAtee into the starting XI.

City have already rejected one replacement option, with the report noting that Atletico offered to include Joao Felix in a swap deal for Alvarez. However, the Portugal star is not part of the deal, as Atletico have chosen to pay their highest fee since signing Felix for over £100 million in 2019.