
Manchester City
Premier League • England
Real Madrid rivals counter Mbappe deal with blockbuster Man City transfer plan

A Man City star could battle Kylian Mbappe next term
Atletico Madrid are well aware that the prospect of winning La Liga has become far harder now that Kylian Mbappe has joined Real Madrid and are ready to respond with a stunning move for Manchester City ace Julian Alvarez, according to reports.
After months of intense speculation about his future, Mbappe has now officially joined Real Madrid on a free transfer, following the expiry of his Paris Saint-Germain contract. The forward described the move as a ‘dream’ as he loved the club growing up and idolised Cristiano Ronaldo.
Mbappe, who came close to signing for Madrid in 2022, has signed a five-year contract with the Spanish titans. While Madrid have not had to pay PSG a transfer fee, they will hand the France captain an eye-watering signing-on fee worth £128million.
Mbappe is considered by many to be the best player in the world, having netted an incredible 256 goals in 308 matches for PSG, which includes 44 strikes in 48 appearances during the 2023-24 season.
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Due to this, Madrid are highly likely to dominate both La Liga and the Champions League next term, having already won both competitions this campaign.
Mbappe will thrive alongside other top-class stars such as Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham. But Atleti do not want to see their rivals win every trophy possible and are planning a huge summer of their own.
According to reports in Spain, Diego Simeone’s side are hoping to make a big statement by raiding Man City for Alvarez.
The Argentine World Cup winner is Atleti’s ‘great desire’ for the summer window. While Atleti will struggle to match Alvarez’s City wages, they will try to convince him on a move by playing on the fact he can become their main focal point in attack. At the moment, of course, Alvarez has to play second fiddle to Erling Haaland.
Kylian Mbappe: Julian Alvarez to rival star in Spain?
Simeone will try to explain to his compatriot how he can battle Mbappe to become one of the best strikers in Spain, and in turn the world. Alvarez may struggle to keep up with Mbappe’s goalscoring exploits, but he is still an elite attacker in his own right.
Another potential sticking point for Atleti is City’s asking price. Since City captured Alvarez from River Plate for just £14m in 2022, his value has risen to nearly £80m.
City would want a huge fee before letting the 24-year-old leave and this will be out of Atleti’s reach. Although, the La Lia giants could reduce the price of this potential transfer by including some of their best players in a player-plus-cash deal.
Some of Simeone’s most valuable stars include Jan Oblak, Rodrigo de Paul, Marcos Llorente and Arthur Vermeeren.
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