Fiorentina's sporting director has confirmed that Manchester City have beaten the Serie A side to the signing of in-demand River Plate striker, Julian Alvarez, as per newly-relayed quotes from Italian media.

Fiorentina Director Confirms Manchester City Have 'Taken' In-Demand Striker
Fiorentina's sporting director has confirmed that Manchester City have beaten the Serie A side to the signing of in-demand River Plate striker, Julian Alvarez, as per newly-relayed quotes from Italian media.
SRINIVAS SADHANANDJAN 27, 2022
It was recently confirmed by none other than transfer expert Fabrizio Romano this week that Julian Alvarez’s move to Manchester City from Argentine giants River Plate was all but done.

With a report claiming that the official announcement for the Argentine international would be made before Friday of this week, Pep Guardiola’s side finally have their hands on a natural striker.

However, the Premier League champions were not the only club involved in the race to lure the youngster’s signature, with a host of sides including La Liga heavyweights Real Madrid reportedly interested in the 21-year old.

As per a recent report by Firenze Viola, as translated and relayed by Sport Witness, Fiorentina sporting director Daniele Prade has admitted that Manchester City beat his side in the race to sign Julian Alvarez.

“We followed him for a long time. But there was never a need to take him, and now he has been taken by Manchester City”, Daniele Prade confessed.

The Fiorentina officials went on to explain why the move may not end up working in ideal fashion for Alvarez, saying, “I don’t know if the choice of going to (Manchester) City is the right one for him, given the many champions (in their team) - it will be difficult to find continuity.”

Considering Dusan Vlahovic was one of Manchester City’s prime targets as a possible successor to Sergio Aguero, Julian Alvarez may have ended up at Fiorentina with the Serb joining the Premier League champions if things worked out differently.

But ultimately, Manchester City look like they have signed the River Plate marksman, while Vlahovic has is understood to be on the brink of joining fellow Serie A rivals Juventus this month.

Touching on Daniele Prade’s point about why Julian Alvarez’s switch to Pep Guardiola’s side may not end up working, it is key to always remember that the club's recent track record in terms of scouting players is second to none.

With Alvarez looking set to pick Manchester City as his next destination, it is testament to the club’s reputation as one of the most successful and well-run sides in the world.