Chelsea and Arsenal look likely to battle it out for the signing of Julian Alvarez this summer (Picture: Getty)
Ally McCoist believes Julian Alvarez has a straightforward decision to make this summer when it comes to choosing his next club.
The Argentina international already has plenty of Premier League experience under his belt having played a key role in Manchester City’s historic treble-winning campaign.
Disenchanted at the prospect of continuing to play second fiddle to Erling Haaland, however, the 26-year-old joined Atletico Madrid two years ago where he has continued to enhance his reputation as one of world football’s most complete forwards.
The Spanish side are reluctant to lose one of their prize assets this summer but manager Diego Simeone left the door ajar when asked about Alvarez’s future after his devastating display in last week’s Champions League win over Tottenham.
‘He looks happy to me,’ Simeone said. ‘He’s scoring goals, if you look at the teams he’s been at [River Plate and Man City], Atletico is the team where he’s scored the most goals.
‘He looks committed, positive. There isn’t much difference between this season and last season in terms of the goals he’s scored.
‘Let’s hope he can stay for many years at Atletico Madrid, and we can keep building a team so that important players want to stay.’
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Atletico Madrid want £130million for Julian Alvarez (Picture: Getty)
Asked whether he would be at Atletico next season, Alvarez, meanwhile, said: ‘I don’t know, I might be, or I might not. I’m happy. I’m thinking about the day to day.’
Despite Atletico’s stance and their £129million valuation, the Premier League giants continue to circle ahead of what is likely to be an intense transfer tug of war.
Arsenal and Chelsea are both reported to have registered an interest but McCoist feels Alvarez should snub the champions-elect and opt for their west London rivals where he could be almost guaranteed a starting spot.
He told talkSPORT Bet Casino: ‘Oh, without a doubt. I think he’s got a better chance of playing more regularly at Chelsea, to tell you the truth, than he would at Arsenal. The squad at Arsenal is phenomenal.
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‘They’re playing Kai Havertz, sometimes as a false nine, Gabriel Jesus is through the middle, and Leandro Trossard has played there.
‘Alvarez is a real talent. As I say, it would surprise me to see him coming back. But in terms of where he went, I think he’d probably get more game time.
‘And you know something? Chelsea might appeal to him because of that, because of those factors you’ve mentioned, particularly the one about a young side with a lot of potential.
Liam Delap has struggled at Chelsea this season (Picture: Getty)
‘If he came to Arsenal, they still haven’t got over the line at this moment in time.
‘I think they will, and I think they will in a couple of years, but it’s a big six weeks coming up for Arsenal, there’s no doubt. You look at the size of Arsenal’s squad, it’s absolutely massive.
‘So, he’s probably got a better chance of getting more regular playing time with Chelsea.’
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