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The competition to secure Julian Alvarez’s signature has taken an unexpected turn, with a Spanish journalist asserting that Manchester United are preparing to challenge Barcelona, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain for the Argentine forward.

Alvarez has already made his mark in the Premier League, scoring 36 goals and providing 19 assists in 103 appearances for Manchester City across two seasons at the Etihad Stadium. During his time with City, he won the UEFA Champions League, two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. On the international stage, he has celebrated triumphs with Argentina by winning both the FIFA World Cup and two Copa Americas.

The striker left England in August 2024 when Atletico Madrid paid £82 million to Manchester City to make him their new attacking leader.

However, the 26-year-old revealed during the World Cup that he wished to leave Atletico in order to ‘fulfil my dream’.

Real Madrid reportedly had a €150 million (£130 million) offer immediately rejected by Atletico, while Barcelona are regarded as being ahead of Arsenal and PSG in the pursuit of the player.

Nevertheless, journalist Marcos Duran of AS has claimed that Manchester United have ‘spoken directly with Alvarez’s agents’ to prepare for what could be a sensational transfer move.

Duran pointed out that Manchester United ‘have money’ and are ‘back in the Champions League’, two factors that could strengthen their position in attempting to sign the highly decorated forward.

According to the report, Alvarez’s representatives are exploring a ‘plan B, C and D’ in case a move to Barcelona cannot be achieved, and Manchester United are considered one of those possible alternatives.

Duran further noted that United might make a move for Alvarez partly due to ‘some City blows still fresh in the memory’. For instance, INEOS executives were keen on signing Elliot Anderson this summer but are now likely to miss out to Manchester City.

Bringing Alvarez to Old Trafford would be a bold statement of intent for Manchester United and could potentially make them genuine title contenders in the Premier League.

However, the likelihood of this transfer materialising remains uncertain.

After rejecting Real Madrid’s €150 million bid, Atletico insisted that any club wishing to buy Alvarez must meet his €500 million (£431 million) release clause. Even if they agree to sell for less than that amount, the final price is expected to be near €200 million (£172 million).

Although Manchester United have a significant summer transfer budget, much of it is being reserved for strengthening their midfield with two or three new signings.

The club has already finalised a £35 million deal for Atalanta’s Ederson and are also competing with Tottenham Hotspur for West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes.

As reported by The Sun, United are also weighing up options between Alex Scott and Carlos Baleba.

Having already spent £74 million on Benjamin Sesko, United are unlikely to commit to another extremely costly striker like Alvarez.

It would be more pragmatic for the Red Devils to pursue a more affordable alternative such as Jean-Philippe Mateta or Dusan Vlahovic instead.