### Manchester City Agree to Sell Julian Alvarez
Manchester City has agreed to sell Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid in an £81.5m deal, as reported by BBC Sport. Alvarez will move to La Liga for the 2024/25 season.
This raises the question: if Julian Alvarez is worth £81.5m, what does that mean for Alexander Isak’s valuation?
Julian Alvarez, 22, was purchased by Manchester City for £14m from River Plate on July 7, 2022. Just seven weeks later, Newcastle United paid £63m to sign Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad on August 25, 2022.
Here are the Premier League records for both strikers:
**Julian Alvarez:**
– 67 Premier League appearances (44 starts, 23 as a substitute)
– 4,109 Premier League minutes played
– 20 Premier League goals (one every 207 minutes)
**Alexander Isak:**
– 52 Premier League appearances (44 starts, 8 as a substitute)
– 3,794 Premier League minutes played
– 31 Premier League goals (one every 122 minutes)
While Julian Alvarez is a good player and would have been a solid acquisition for Newcastle, Alexander Isak is on another level. Goal scorers are always in high demand, and prolific scorers even more so.
This context makes it laughable when media and fans from clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool suggest they could buy Alexander Isak for £70m or £80m. Considering Isak cost £63m as a 22-year-old, selling him for a mere £7m to £17m profit after he has developed into one of the Premier League’s top strikers is unrealistic.
Many football fans, including those at Newcastle United, often place unrealistic price tags on their own players while undervaluing those they wish to acquire. Fans of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and others thinking they could get Isak for £80m or less are mistaken. It would likely require a new Premier League record fee to pry him away from Newcastle.
Alexander Isak’s importance to Newcastle United and his status as a brilliant signing at £63m cannot be overstated.
**BBC Sport breaking news – 6 August 2024:**
‘Atletico Madrid have agreed an £81.5m deal to sign Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez. The fee is made up of an initial £64.4m (75m euros) with a further £17.1m (20m euros) in potential add-ons. It would be a record sale for City, surpassing the £50m Chelsea paid for Raheem Sterling in 2022. Manager Pep Guardiola had been keen to keep the 24-year-old but, as has been the case in the past with Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez, and Aymeric Laporte, City will not stand in the way of a player who wants to leave.’
