Man United 'ready to bid' £125m for former Man City star in move that would rock the Premier League
Manchester United are reportedly ready to table a 'huge bid worth £125m' for a highly-rated former Manchester City player.
United are currently 13th in the Premier League, ahead of their away fixture against Tottenham Hotspur in north London on Sunday.
Part of the reason the Red Devils are in the bottom half of the league is their lack of threat in front of goal.
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Summer signing Joshua Zirkzee has scored just three Premier League goals – two in one match against Everton and the other on his debut against Fulham in August – while Rasmus Hojlund has netted just twice in the league this term.
This caused Gary Neville to even recommend his former club re-sign 34-year-old forward Danny Welbeck, who currently plies his trade at Brighton.
“But he’s actually perfect for how Manchester United should play,” Neville told Sky Sports on Friday.
“Threatening space in behind, playing off front players. This idea that he’s not good enough for Manchester United is absolutely rubbish.
“He’s good enough to be in a pool of three or four strikers at Manchester United.”
But it is another proven goalscorer who United have been linked with a move for this summer.
A report by Spanish outlet Fichajes suggests United are ready to bid €150m (£125m) for former Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez.
Alvarez, 25, currently plays for La Liga side Atletico Madrid, having signed for a reported £81.5m last summer.
And since arriving in the Spanish capital, he has continued to prove his worth, scoring 17 goals in 36 appearances for Diego Simeone’s side.
It was thought that the Argentine left Man City due to him wanting to be the main man instead of playing second-fiddle to Erling Haaland.
And Pep Guardiola gave his thoughts on Alvarez's departure during a press conference back in August 2024.
"I don't like to tell players what they have to do," Guardiola said.
"Contracts are nice but they can be broken. If you are not happy, why should you be here?
"He's incredibly loved by the team for his behaviour, but like I said many times of the players, if he wants to leave and wants a new challenge - Atlético is a top club in Spain and in Europe - and when they suggested to me through the club that he wanted to leave, I said it was OK.
"Imagine he stays when he doesn't want to stay?"
Alvarez scored 36 goals in 103 appearances for City, helping them to two Premier League titles, one FA Cup and a Champions League crown - just to name some of his achievements while at the club.
"I don't know the reason why [he wanted to leave]," Guardiola added. "He said he wants a new challenge and he feels it is what he has to do."
The 25-year-old is contracted to Atletico until the summer of 2030.
Topics: Premier League, Atletico Madrid, Julian Alvarez, Gary Neville, Danny Welbeck, Champions League, Man Utd
Luke Davies