Exclusive: Fabrizio Romano on how Man City could replace star who’s edging closer to transfer exit

Transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano has provided some insight into how Manchester City could look to replace Julian Alvarez as he edges closer to completing his move to Atletico Madrid.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for the latest edition of his Daily Briefing column, Romano suggested that Man City could try targeting a different kind of player to fill the void left by Alvarez, who had been Erling Haaland’s backup at the Etihad Stadium.

The Argentina international has struggled for regular playing time at City, so his departure makes sense, but he’s also proven a useful rotation option, so Romano has made it clear that internal talks will take place to decide on what kind of attacking player could be brought in to fill that role, albeit in a slightly different way.

It may be that MCFC will look for a player more like a winger or a false 9 to give Pep Guardiola’s side something a bit different if Haaland isn’t playing, and that seems like a smart move that could also mean the club have alternatives to the likes of Bernardo Silva, Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku as well.

Alvarez transfer: How could Man City replace the Argentine?

“We’ve had significant developments on a few major deals in a crazy domino around Europe and the first of those is the ‘here we go’ for Julian Alvarez to move from Manchester City to Atletico Madrid. It’s a record sale for Man City – a €75m guaranteed fee plus €20m in add-ons,” Romano said.

“So that could be a potential €95m sale for a player Man City signed for just £14m a couple of years ago – an incredible piece of business for the Premier League champions. Of course it’s also an exciting signing for Atletico Madrid, who are landing a top talent up front, so it’s fantastic for both clubs.

“It will be completed soon, with Alvarez set to sign a five-year contract. Alvarez has also spoken already with Diego Simeone, who has been really keen to push this move through.

“Man City will now look at options to replace Alvarez, for sure. It could be a striker, but I would not be surprised if they end up considering also wingers and maybe playing with a false nine when Erling Haaland will not be available. Talks are taking place internally to decide on the next move, so we will have to wait and see the outcome of those discussions.”