Real Madrid show concrete interest in the most lethal up-and-coming finisher
Real Madrid are heavily invested in signing Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland next summer. Mbappe will be free and is nearly guaranteed to join Real, but Haaland will be a more ambitious ploy at striker, especially since Los Blancos already have one of the two best strikers in the world (Robert Lewandowski being the other) in Karim Benzema.
Their interest in strikers does not stop there, though. As we have seen over the past couple of years, Florentino Perez has been proactive in signing the best prospects in the world, specifically in South America. Fede Valverde and Vinicius Junior are already major successes, with the latter fulfilling his superstar potential in a breakout 2021-2022 campaign.
Real Madrid’s latest transfer target is River Plate’s Julian Alvarez, who has been lighting up the Argentinian top flight. In fact, Los Blancos have reportedly made contacts with Alvarez’s camp, per information from Sportitalia reporter Alfredo Pedulla via colleague Gianluigi Longari.
Pedulla has also clarified that Alvarez’s release clause will cost 25 million euros, and there is plenty of Serie A interest. Milan, Juventus, Inter, and Fiorentina are the clubs monitoring him. We saw Juve sign Kaio Jorge this past summer. Meanwhile, Inter is still looking to replace Romelu Lukaku, and the Viola must worry about replacing Dusan Vlahovic (another star of the team linked closely to the Bianconeri).
Julian Alvarez would need to be loaned if Real Madrid signed him
As for Real Madrid, Alvarez would not be a first-team player. There would be no space for the man who once had a trial with the team as a teenager. He would be an investment in the future, akin to the 2020 winter signing of Reinier Jesus from Flamengo for 30 million euros. Los Blancos are also interested in making a similar deal with Fluminense star Luiz Henrique.
Alvarez is in the same ballpark of a price as Reinier, yet he is more accomplished. Of course, at 21, he is older. But strikers tend to have longer careers, so that must be considered.
On top of that, Alvarez has a skill-set that can be useful for a long time. You will not find many young players with his eye for goal. People like to downplay achievements outside of Europe, which is unfair, but even those usual critics have to say that Alvarez’s finishing is translatable.
The River Plate star has scored a whopping 16 goals in 17 appearances this season, making 14 starts in total. Beyond the goals, he has five assists, too. He even has 1.7 key passes per game and 1.9 dribbles completed per match.
I have been referring to Alvarez as a striker, but the reality is that the right-footed forward can play literally anywhere in the attack. He has been used as a left winger, right winger, and attacking midfielder. That versatility is undervalued in the market, so Real Madrid could be getting a massive steal here at 25 million euros.
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Alvarez would have to agree to a loan somewhere else if he were to sign with Real, so that is something that could detract him. But it is great to see that Los Blancos are proactive in going after a player wanted by so many notable clubs in Europe. Alvarez has star potential with his prolific goal-scoring and all-around play.