Liverpool clearly rates Julian Alvarez, and the Atletico Madrid star is already fully aware of the quality the Reds possess.
Alvarez has emerged as a potential transfer target for the Reds, who have already made one attempt to sign the Argentina international. A move to Anfield was discussed last summer, with Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes even flying to Madrid to hold talks with the player’s agent.
A transfer never came to fruition though, with Manchester City’s insistence that Luis Diaz be included as part of the deal making it a non-starter. Alvarez therefore made the switch to Atletico instead, although his agent has confirmed Liverpool wanted to sign his client.
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Reports in the last few days have suggested that Liverpool could revisit its interest in the summer, with Darwin Nunez even being touted as a possible makeweight in a deal. Atletico boss Diego Simeone is said to be a huge fan of the Uruguayan, which could aid the Reds’ efforts.
And Alvarez has already made his admiration for one of Liverpool’s stars clear. Asked by ESPN earlier this season to name the top three defenders he’s faced, Virgil van Dijk was the first name that sprang to mind for the Argentina international.
“Van Dijk because he is very strong,” Alvarez responded. “He’s one of the best defenders in the world. I’ve also faced Cuti [Cristian] Romero and Licha [Lisandro] Martinez.
“Cuti because he’s very aggressive and one of the best centre-backs in the world now too. And Licha too. They are both very similar in their aggressive defending.”
If Liverpool is to revisit its interest this summer, it will take some effort to get Atletico on side. The Spanish club’s sporting director Carlos Busero has issued a response to the recent reports, suggesting that they won’t be letting Alvarez go anywhere.
“The talk about Liverpool submitting an official offer to sign our player Julian Alvarez is incorrect. What is being circulated is just rumors,” Busero told 365 Scores.
“Alvarez is a key and important player in our project, and we have no intention of letting him go. The player himself is not paying attention to these rumors.”
Liverpool.com says: Being mentioned alongside Romero and Martinez might not seem like the biggest compliment to Liverpool fans, but Alvarez was always likely to throw at least one of his international teammates into the mix. The fact that Van Dijk was the first name that sprung to mind says everything about how highly he rates the Reds captain.
Whether he ever gets the chance to play alongside him though is doubtful to say the least. Before we even get into the possibility of Atletico parting with Alvarez, and Liverpool coming up with what would almost certainly be a big transfer fee, Van Dijk’s future at Anfield needs to be sorted out, with a new contract still to be agreed.
