A surprise star has now reportedly been identified by Real Madrid as an alternative solution should they fail to sign Kylian Mbappe.
Los Blancos are yet to throw in the towel on their quest to sign the Paris Saint-Germain superstar following yet another transfer window without successfully bringing the player on board.
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Despite tensions between Mbappe and PSG during the off-season, their relationship is yet to end, although the France captain is now in his final year at the club before potentially leaving as a free agent.
The Spanish giants are thus believed to be waiting to seize on the opportunity to sign the 24-year-old for free next year in June, with reports suggesting the Madridistas will look to finalise a pre-contract agreement with him in January.
However, Real are said to be wary of the prospect of the player once again deciding against joining them, and have in turn lined up an alternative solution.
According to Sky Sports, the LALIGA powerhouse will attempt to sign Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez if they fail to bring in Mbappe next year.
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The Argentine, who recently became the only footballer ever to win a FIFA World Cup and a domestic treble in the same season, largely played second fiddle to Erling Haaland in his first year at the Etihad.
Despite that, the 23-year-old impressed when he did feature, and is said to have drawn a lot of interest from other top clubs, who would be willing to give him more game time, as a result.
The striker signed a six-and-a-half-year deal when he joined the Citizens from River Plate last year, though, so buying him out of his contract is likely to be an expensive endeavour.
It is also unclear if the striker would be open to leaving City any time soon as he is yet to express any dissatisfaction about his time under Pep Guardiola to date.
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Last season, he registered 17 goals in 49 matches on the way to winning three trophies with City, and also scored four goals for the Albiceleste in their triumphant 2022 World Cup campaign in Qatar.
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