Chelsea “one to watch” as doubt remains over Julian Alvarez

Man City do not want to lose Julian Alvarez this summer and will do everything they can to keep the World Cup winner, but Chelsea are a team to watch as they have an interest in the Argentina star.

There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the forward’s future at the Premier League champions in recent weeks, with Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid all linked to Alvarez as the 24-year-old is believed not to be entirely happy about his minutes at Man City.

According to Ben Jacobs, the Manchester club do not want to lose the Argentina international and states that Pep Guardiola will not allow him to leave the Etihad easily. It would take a transfer fee in the region of £70m to lure the forward away, with the transfer expert stating that Chelsea are a club to watch.

However, Jacobs feels that the Blues could move for Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran instead as the 20-year-old is younger and much cheaper for the West London club to acquire.

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Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran ahead of Julian Alvarez on Chelsea’s transfer list

Writing in his latest exclusive column for CaughtOffside’s The Daily Briefing, Ben Jacobs has explained Alvarez’s situation at Man City and Chelsea’s pursuit of a new striker.

“Julian Alvarez is not a player Manchester City want to lose, but it’s clear he wants some guarantees over playing time. That makes the situation open,” the journalist stated.

“When players like Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer went to Pep Guardiola and explained they wanted a new challenge, the Manchester City boss was very understanding. He might not be as accommodating with Alvarez given his importance to the team.

“Manchester City got £45m and £40m for Sterling and Palmer respectively, and Alvarez’s price tag would be significantly more. At the moment, there is no specific number, but £70m+ is understood to be the ballpark. There is concrete interest from Paris St-Germain, and they have the budget following Kylian Mbappe’s departure.

“Chelsea could be one to watch, but they haven’t yet made any kind of meaningful approach. I still sense Jhon Duran might be ahead of Alvarez given he’s cheaper and only 20. Chelsea have faith in Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku can be used as a false nine, so Chelsea’s recruitment team aren’t as worried as they perhaps were earlier in the year about adding someone already proven or Premier League-seasoned.”