With River Plate striker Julian Alvarez recently turning into one of the big names in the Argentine league, he’s now one of the likeliest candidates to make a big move to Europe.
The Buenos Aires side are already working to get a good sale with him, and outlet Infobae today features a story explaining the whole situation as it stands.
The report starts by claiming that the clubs fighting for his signing are Aston Villa, Ajax, Bayer Leverkusen, Milan and Valencia.
It’s now said that the player is currently protected by a €25m release clause, despite recent claims claiming it was US$25m (€21.5m), in a contract which expires in December 2022.
River Plate’s intention would be to renew it and feel more protected about the future move, whether it be to Aston Villa or some where else..
Infobae says River Plate’s idea would be to raise the release clause to €35m. However, the player’s entourage consider this to be too much, according to an agent who ‘knows Alvarez’s situation very well’.
“In Julian’s entourage, they believe that today the maximum that a European club could pay for the clause of a South American player is €30m and with a favourable wind. It’s different when the operations take place between European clubs: there the figures are much more important. And also in Europe they speculate on the devaluation of the Argentine peso and get tough in the negotiations.”
It’s claimed that both parts should end up finding common ground, since Álvarez’s agent Fernando Hidalgo knows that the player doesn’t want a fight with his club.
Now, as ‘everyone at River knows that Álvarez’s future is in Europe’, they’ll work on the best deal.
Aston Villa’s interest in the striker has been reported since September, when they reportedly made an approach for the signing.
Now as time goes by and the 21-year-old continues to impress, his price is only going up, as he has 14 goals and 12 assists for the Millonario this season, but either way, it seems the maximum the Villains would have to pay is €35m if Alvarez and his entourage don’t get their way.
