Barcelona manager Xavi really likes 23-year-old Man City forward as a future reinforcement

In recent years, Barcelona have brought in a number of players from Premier League giants Manchester City.

Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia arrived in the summer of 2021 while Ferran Torres joined six months later in January 2022.

This past summer saw the Blaugrana rope in former Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan on a free transfer while they continue to hold an interest in long-term transfer target Bernardo Silva.

Julian Alvarez on Barcelona’s radar

Now, SPORT is reporting that another Manchester City player is on Barcelona’s radar, with manager Xavi Hernandez understood to be an admirer of forward Julian Alvarez.

As per the report, the Barça head coach ‘really likes’ the 23-year-old Argentine forward and sees him as a quality future reinforcement at the club.

This is not the first time that Alvarez has been mentioned as a potential target for the La Liga champions.

And even though Vitor Roque will be arriving next year, Barcelona would need another quality striker to take over from Robert Lewandowski in the run.

That is where someone like Alvarez could enter the picture, with the young forward already proving himself at Man City as well as with the Argentine national team.

Expensive affair

However, signing Alvarez will be anything but easy for Barcelona, considering that the 23-year-old has a long-term contract with Manchester City until 2028.

It had been previously reported that the Argentine international has an exit clause that could make him an attainable target.

But those rumours were subsequently shot down and it is believed that even if Man City were to consider a sale, they would hold out for a fee in excess of €80 million.

So, as things stand, any move for Alvarez from Barcelona, in their current financial situation, seems extremely unlikely. It remains to be seen if things change in the future.