Manchester City’s first transfer target after the expected sale of Julian Alvarez has emerged – and it has taken fans by surprise.
City have agreed to transfer Alvarez to Atletico Madrid for £81.5 million, resulting in a substantial profit on the £14 million they invested to acquire the forward from Racing Club two years ago.
The 24-year-old, who won the 2024 Copa America with Argentina this summer, still needs to finalize personal terms with Atletico.
Although his departure has been rumored for some time, the Argentine played a key role last season as City secured their fourth consecutive Premier League title.
Alvarez is poised to conclude his City career with 36 goals in 103 appearances across all competitions. His departure will leave Pep Guardiola’s team needing to find a replacement before the 2024/25 season begins next weekend.
However, The Telegraph reports that City have already targeted Wolves winger Pedro Neto as a potential replacement at the Etihad Stadium.
Neto is said to be among the players the club is considering, but there is no assurance that a formal offer will be made at this time.
He has also attracted interest from Arsenal and Liverpool this summer, following his performance of two goals and nine assists in 20 league appearances for Wolves last season.
The report suggests that if City choose not to sign a replacement for Alvarez, Guardiola might include attacking midfielder James McAtee in the starting XI.
City have already ruled out one replacement, as the report indicates that Atletico was willing to include Joao Felix in a swap deal for Alvarez. However, Felix is not part of the agreement, and Atletico is instead paying their highest transfer fee since the over £100 million they spent to sign Felix.
