Julian Alvarez &#8211; CaughtOffside

Enzo Maresca explains what excites him most about Chelsea’s new €60m man

Mikel Arteta gives Jurrien Timber update after defender misses Arsenal friendly

Chelsea’s €40m transfer falls through after major problem finalising contract

Man City’s Julian Alvarez has made a huge decision to leave Manchester

Alvarez’s decision to leave Man City seems like a strange one and it is a choice that will define his career.

The World Cup winner wanted to be more involved in big games with the Premier League champions and if that didn’t come this season, it would have the next as Kevin De Bruyne is likely to leave the Etihad Stadium.

Being only 24, the player has plenty of time and the Atletico move would have always been there.

The forward has sacrificed trophies for minutes on the pitch but will back himself to guide Atleti to titles and that is where the Argentina star can make this transfer a huge success.

The post Monday a big day for the career of talented Man City forward appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Kevin Nolan blasts West Ham for making costly mistake in the transfer market

Charlie Patrick — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 20:20:48 +0000

Kevin Nolan has admitted West Ham made a mistake by not signing Julian Alvarez when they had the chance to whilst he was still at River Plate.

West Ham have had a busy summer following the departure of David Moyes and have made a number of quality signings including the likes of Max Kilman, Crysencio Summerville, Luis Guilherme and Niclas Fullkrug.

The Hammers are looking to get back into European football having missed out completely last season and on the face of it are building a really strong squad for Julen Lopetegui, who is being heavily backed.

Nolan reveals one West Ham regret

Nolan, who was a first team coach under Moyes and also had a spell at West Ham as a player left the club this summer along with the Scot.

Following his departure Nolan has opened up on his time at the London Stadium and when asked about the possibility of signing Alvarez in the summer of 2022, he admitted that was one of his regrets.

“To be fair, we did a lot of work on Alvarez the season he signed,” he told the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast.

West Ham had the chance to sign Alvarez when he was at River Plate.

“We did a lot of work leading up to it. And one of the first things I said he’s a Man City player right away.

“Like when obviously the boss said what you think, I just said he’s a Man City player for me because he just looked the part.

“I think for me he was probably a bit too slight, and what we needed was someone a bit bigger because he was on his own, but he adapted fantastically well. But he was given the opportunity to adapt because of how Man City are and what they do.”

Alvarez ended up joining City that summer for just £14m and went on to win the Treble in his first season and he’s agreed to join Atletico Madrid in a deal which could be worth up to £81m.

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It’s an interesting case of what might have been if West Ham had taken the gamble on Alvarez and he’s now proven himself to be a top quality operator.

In this instance West Ham’s loss was very much Manchester City’s gain from both a playing and financial standpoint and it will be mistake the Hammers won’t want to repeat in the future.

The post Kevin Nolan blasts West Ham for making costly mistake in the transfer market appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Multiple Champions League winner turns his nose up at Man City interest

Jason Pettigrove — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 06:36:58 +0000

When Man City come calling invariably they get their man, however, some times having all of the money in the world doesn’t guarantee success in the transfer market.

The reigning Premier League champions have money burning a hole in their collective pockets after the sale of Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid, and with the new season just a week away, it’s clear that Pep Guardiola’s side need a high quality replacement.

Such transfers are often hard to come by, particularly at a competitive price, but the Cityzens clearly knew who they wanted to replace the Argentinian.

Rodrygo turns down Man City

Unfortunately for them, as AS report, Real Madrid’s double Champions League winner, Rodrygo, isn’t interested in leaving the Spanish top-flight champions.

At 23, the Brazilian is one of Los Blancos recent success stories along with the likes of Vini Jr. and Jude Bellingham, and with Kylian Mbappe now being added to the mix, it’s clear that Rodrygo fancies Madrid’s chances of doing some damage domestically and in Europe again next season.

Rodrygo has turned down Man City

Given he’d be likely to have to play second fiddle at City, it’s no real surprise that he’s turned down a move to the Etihad Stadium.

Being handsomely paid often appears secondary to players who just want to be out there on the pitch.

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Aug 11 2024, 22:54

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Aug 11 2024, 21:40

Take Alvarez as the perfect example. According to Capology, he was earning a whopping £100,000 per week, but that still wasn’t enough to keep him at a club that are going to continue going from strength to strength.

Even the pull of working for Pep Guardiola, arguably the greatest coach of his generation and perhaps the best ever has failed to change Rodrygo’s mind.

The post Multiple Champions League winner turns his nose up at Man City interest appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Transfer news: Alvarez replacement, ins and outs at Chelsea, Merino to Arsenal latest & more

Fabrizio Romano — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 15:50:00 +0000

This article was originally published on Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing, a subscription service. If you would like to receive Fabrizio Romano’s exclusive transfer news via email ahead of publication on caughtoffside.com, please sign-up for the service here: thedailybriefing.io

Julian Alvarez transfer nearly done and how Man City could replace him

We’ve had significant developments on a few major deals in a crazy domino around Europe and the first of those is the ‘here we go’ for Julian Alvarez to move from Manchester City to Atletico Madrid. It’s a record sale for Man City – a €75m guaranteed fee plus €20m in add-ons.

So that could be a potential €95m sale for a player Man City signed for just £14m a couple of years ago – an incredible piece of business for the Premier League champions. Of course it’s also an exciting signing for Atletico Madrid, who are landing a top talent up front, so it’s fantastic for both clubs.

It will be completed soon, with Alvarez set to sign a five-year contract. Alvarez has also spoken already with Diego Simeone, who has been really keen to push this move through.

Man City will now look at options to replace Alvarez, for sure. It could be a striker, but I would not be surprised if they end up considering also wingers and maybe playing with a false nine when Erling Haaland will not be available. Talks are taking place internally to decide on the next move, so we will have to wait and see the outcome of those discussions.

Latest on Conor Gallagher and Samu Omorodion deals

Another big name on his way to Atletico Madrid is Conor Gallagher. The Chelsea midfielder said yes to the La Liga giants after a complicated saga that took some time – he’s now agreed to the contract terms and will fly for his medical. The verbal agreement is in place, but all still waiting to get all signed in order to feel finally safe on this saga, it’s almost ten days now.

Chelsea will make a guaranteed €40m from the sale of Gallagher, so it’s a good sale for them, especially as they preferred to sell him abroad even though he also had interest from Premier League clubs. Tottenham wanted him for next summer as a free agent, but no formal bid was sent to Chelsea this summer.

Of course, Samu Omorodion to Chelsea has also been part of these discussions, though it’s a separate deal. There was interest from Chelsea earlier in the summer, but Atletico said no as they didn’t want to sell the player, while he was also very happy with Atletico.

However, with the Alvarez deal on top of the recent move for Alexander Sorloth, there is no more room for Omorodion, so it’s now all set for him to join Chelsea. The agreement is done with the player on a contract valid for the next seven years, while the clubs have also agreed on a fee of €35m.

So, Omorodion has accepted the move and will have his medical soon, and it’s one more striker for Enzo Maresca. In the end, the Alvarez deal was a crucial part of the domino, even though Omorodion was happy to stay at Atletico, and now he’s getting closer to Chelsea, with some final details to clarify.

Now Chelsea will have to decide what they want to do with Marc Guiu, who they signed from Barcelona earlier in the window, as they could keep him in their squad or possibly send him out on loan. David Datro Fofana and Armando Broja could also leave, and the priority for Chelsea is for a permanent transfer for both players, or it could be a loan with an obligation to buy.

Joao Felix to Aston Villa could still be one to watch

Joao Felix’s future remains undecided and there were some reports that he could be part of the Julian Alvarez deal, though my understanding was that Manchester City were always likely to sell Alvarez without any other player being involved. Felix was never a target for Man City, they have different ideas – they respect him as a player of course, but they have different plans for this window.

With Felix, keep an eye on Aston Villa because the appreciation from Villa Park is still there – Unai Emery really loves Felix as a player. It’s still not decided where Felix will go next, it’s not being decided now, but I wanted to clarify that he was not part of the Alvarez negotiations.

So, the Felix story is not closed yet, and at the moment Atletico are obviously busy with other deals, so we’ll see again in the next few days if the Felix situation will be discussed and what it could mean for his future. Villa are still there, but it’s not time for a breakthrough in this deal just yet.

Jadon Sancho could still leave Man Utd plus truth about those Denzel Dumfries links

There is still a possibility for Jadon Sancho to leave Manchester United in this transfer window – we have to keep the door open for that, but at the moment it’s still not advancing to important stages of negotiations. It’s true that Paris Saint-Germain have an interest and that they have spoken with the agents of the player.

However, there have been reports that PSG are closing in on the player and that’s not correct as far as I understand. He’s on their list, it’s a possibility, but we’re not yet at that stage of the negotiation. Sancho to PSG could be one to watch, but it’s not decided yet, and we’ll have to see as well what Manchester United want to do with the player, because the decision of the club, of INEOS, and of Erik ten Hag will be important to decide the next steps of this story.

Another United story that has gained a lot of attention in recent hours is with Denzel Dumfries. At the moment, I’m still told that Man United’s focus remains on Noussair Mazraoui as their priority target. There’s still no agreement with Bayern but the player is also waiting for United, so the right-back story remains with full focus on Mazraoui.

Dumfries will not sign a new contract in August, but if he’s staying at Inter beyond August it remains a possibility for him to extend.

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No change on Victor Osimhen to Chelsea saga

As ever, a lot is being written about Victor Osimhen’s future, with reports from England and Italy saying completely different things, but from what I’m told there has been no change in the last 24-48 hours. With Chelsea, I expect nothing will change tomorrow or the next day either, because the situation is still very clear – Chelsea’s interest remains, they are having conversations with Napoli, but the only option for them to continue is with a loan or another kind of creative formula.

Napoli want to sign Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea, and Lukaku has an agreement already with Napoli, but at the moment the issue is that Osimhen is not considering a loan move to Chelsea. He is also not going to lower his wages or accept a reduced salary. So, everything remains open and nothing has changed yet, but when it does I will let you know.

Mikel Merino Arsenal transfer talks ongoing

It’s gone a bit quiet on the Mikel Merino to Arsenal saga in recent days, so I’ve had some fans asking me for an update on the situation.

For now my understanding is that negotiations continue, it’s still all verbal with no formal bid but for sure Merino is waiting for Arsenal to complete the agreement with Real Sociedad.

It’s also about payment terms, the structure, more things to follow between the two clubs. Merino wants Arsenal, so it’s just on the clubs now.

The post Transfer news: Alvarez replacement, ins and outs at Chelsea, Merino to Arsenal latest & more appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Man City have looked at Premier League winger as they weigh up Julian Alvarez transfer replacement

Mark Brus — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 13:18:20 +0000

Manchester City are reportedly weighing up whether or not to target a replacement for Julian Alvarez in attack, with Wolves winger Pedro Neto mentioned as one name they’ve looked at.

In his Daily Briefing column, Fabrizio Romano explained that Man City could be a bit creative with their work in the transfer market to replace Alvarez, who is closing in on a move to Atletico Madrid.

Romano has suggested that City could look at a winger or false nine instead of a direct replacement for Alvarez, and it’s interesting to see that Neto is someone they’re keen on, as per the Telegraph.

The Portugal international has been a little injury prone in recent times, but has otherwise shone during his time in the Premier League and looks like someone who could make the step up to playing for one of the big six clubs in England.

There could now be an opening for him at Man City next season, once Alvarez’s move is finalised, and depending on Pep Guardiola’s plans for Savio, who has joined from Troyes.

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Neto transfer: Can Man City win the race for his signature?

One imagines Neto will have plenty of suitors this summer, so it remains to be seen if any other clubs will emerge ahead of MCFC in the race for his signature.

Sources recently told CaughtOffside about interest from Arsenal and Tottenham, but that’s yet to materialise into anything more concrete.

Pedro Neto to Manchester City?

Wolves surely won’t want to lose such an important player, but many key figures at the club will also surely accept there’s only so long they can keep an immense attacking talent of this calibre.

There’s also surely an opportunity for big money to be made by cashing in on someone like Neto, and in this era of strict Financial Fair Play regulations, it might prove to be too good for Wolves to turn down.

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Exclusive: Fabrizio Romano on how Man City could replace star who’s edging closer to transfer exit

Mark Brus — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 08:09:45 +0000

Transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano has provided some insight into how Manchester City could look to replace Julian Alvarez as he edges closer to completing his move to Atletico Madrid.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for the latest edition of his Daily Briefing column, Romano suggested that Man City could try targeting a different kind of player to fill the void left by Alvarez, who had been Erling Haaland’s backup at the Etihad Stadium.

The Argentina international has struggled for regular playing time at City, so his departure makes sense, but he’s also proven a useful rotation option, so Romano has made it clear that internal talks will take place to decide on what kind of attacking player could be brought in to fill that role, albeit in a slightly different way.

It may be that MCFC will look for a player more like a winger or a false 9 to give Pep Guardiola’s side something a bit different if Haaland isn’t playing, and that seems like a smart move that could also mean the club have alternatives to the likes of Bernardo Silva, Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku as well.

Julian Alvarez is set to move to Atletico Madrid

Alvarez transfer: How could Man City replace the Argentine?

“We’ve had significant developments on a few major deals in a crazy domino around Europe and the first of those is the ‘here we go’ for Julian Alvarez to move from Manchester City to Atletico Madrid. It’s a record sale for Man City – a €75m guaranteed fee plus €20m in add-ons,” Romano said.

“So that could be a potential €95m sale for a player Man City signed for just £14m a couple of years ago – an incredible piece of business for the Premier League champions. Of course it’s also an exciting signing for Atletico Madrid, who are landing a top talent up front, so it’s fantastic for both clubs.

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“It will be completed soon, with Alvarez set to sign a five-year contract. Alvarez has also spoken already with Diego Simeone, who has been really keen to push this move through.

“Man City will now look at options to replace Alvarez, for sure. It could be a striker, but I would not be surprised if they end up considering also wingers and maybe playing with a false nine when Erling Haaland will not be available. Talks are taking place internally to decide on the next move, so we will have to wait and see the outcome of those discussions.”

The post Exclusive: Fabrizio Romano on how Man City could replace star who’s edging closer to transfer exit appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Chelsea and Atletico Madrid talks halted as player fails to travel for medical

Andrew Walker — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 15:51:42 +0000

The most complicated transfer saga of the summer involves three players and three clubs.

After months of speculation, Chelsea finally reached an agreement with Atletico Madrid to sell Conor Gallagher.

A breakthrough in talks earlier this week means the England international is on the verge of joining Los Colchoneros in a deal worth a reported £33 million. Striker Samu Omorodion is expected to move the other way once Gallagher is confirmed as a new Atletico player.

Conor Gallagher to Atletico Madrid hits stumbling block

The 24-year-old isn’t the only Premier League player Diego Simeone wants to sign this summer though. Agreeing on a deal worth up to £82 million for Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez on Tuesday morning, Atletico Madrid are closing on a sensational double swoop (David Ornstein).

Julian Alvarez is closing in on a transfer to Atletico Madrid.

And while Alvarez’s move looks close to being finalised, Gallagher’s has reportedly encountered some late problems. According to a report from El Chiringuito TV journalist Marcos Benito, the Chelsea midfielder’s transfer is being held up by his agent’s commission fee demands. This has prevented the Epsom-born playmaker from travelling to Spain to undergo a medical.

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Failure to get a deal for Gallagher across the line will see Chelsea miss out on Omorodion, and with talks now at a standstill, fans must await to see if the two clubs can force a breakthrough.

The post Chelsea and Atletico Madrid talks halted as player fails to travel for medical appeared first on CaughtOffside.

20-year-old all set to pen seven-year contract with Chelsea as part of £35m deal

Darren Looney — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 10:22:41 +0000

Chelsea are set to sign Samu Omorodion from Atletico Madrid on a seven-year contract with the La Liga club waiting to confirm the signing of Man City’s Julian Alvarez before letting their striker go.

Diego Simeone lost his main striker from last season Alvaro Morata over the summer to AC Milan and has wanted Alvarez to fill that void throughout the current transfer window.

Atletico have now agreed a deal worth £82m with Man City to sign the World Cup winner as it looks like the Argentina star is on his way to Spain. Once that deal is wrapped up, the Madrid-based side will allow Omorodion to join Chelsea, who have been chasing the 20-year-old talent for some time.

According to Fabrizio Romano, everything is set for the transfer to be confirmed, with the deal costing Chelsea £35m.

Personal terms have already been agreed with the player, who is set to sign a seven-year contract at Stamford Bridge until 2031.

Enzo Maresca will finally see a new striker arrive at Chelsea but it remains to be seen if the West London outfit make a move for a bigger name later in the transfer window as it is a role that will be key to the Blues’ success this season.

Chelsea are set to sign Samu Omorodion from Atletico Madrid

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