Micah Richards has urged Manchester City to hijack Arsenal’s pursuit of Julian Alvarez and bring the Atletico Madrid striker back to the club.
Alvarez won two Premier League titles in his two seasons at City before a lack of regular starts saw him move to Atletico for £82million in August 2024.
Since then, the Argentine striker has scored 49 goals in 107 appearances for the Spanish side and established himself as one of the best strikers in European football.
But the 26-year-old is clearly keen for a fresh challenge, having indicated during the World Cup that it was his dream to join Barcelona this summer.
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Atletico have held firm and insisted they won’t sell Alvarez to their league rivals, with the striker heavily jeered by his own fans during their La Liga draw with Villarreal on Sunday evening.
Arsenal have held an interest in Alvarez throughout the summer as they look to add a superstar forward to Mikel Arteta’s squad.
Alvarez has made it clear his preference would be a move to Barcelona, but the latest reports suggest his stance may be softening, which could allow the Gunners to swoop in with a blockbuster offer.
A lofty fee of €150m (£128m) may be required to prise Alvarez away from the Spanish capital, with Arsenal looking to sell Gabriel Martinelli to raise funds for the move.
And while Richards believes the signing would be a ‘statement of intent’ by Arsenal, he is keen to see his former side City launch a late bid to bring Alvarez back to the Etihad to bolster Enzo Maresca’s forward line.
‘I think [Arsenal need] another body in there,’ Richards said on The Rest is Football podcast.
‘Obviously, they have still got Gyokeres and you can’t disrespect him; he’s a Premier League winner, but I just think if they want domination, go get another forward. Go get Alvarez. That would be a statement of intent.
‘If I were Man City, I’d be going back in for Alvarez. 100 per cent.’
Meanwhile, Alan Shearer believes that the signing of Alvarez would make Arsenal ‘very difficult to stop’ in all competitions this season.
‘Havertz is a very good player and I think in the big games, Arteta chooses him and I understand that,’ he said.
‘Gyokeres has also more than played his part, but I agree with Micah.
‘If they want to stay around at the very, very top and try and dominate over the next three or four years, if they were to go and get that elite striker, then I think it would be very, very difficult to stop if they had that.’
Speaking at the weekend, Atletico boss Diego Simeone urged the club’s fans to rally around Alvarez despite his public desire to seek a fresh start.
‘To win titles you need a striker,’ Simeone said. ‘We’re competing with the players we have. Until today, I was telling the players before going out onto the pitch that as long as they’re on the team, I’m fully committed to them.
‘We need strikers, good strikers. We have him, and we have to take care of him.’
‘I think we all need to be united. Julian is with us on the team, and as long as he’s here, we’re going to support him.
‘We want the best for him because we know what he can contribute. It’s an uncomfortable situation for everyone, but hopefully it will be resolved and we’ll all be happy at the end of the season.’
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