Manchester City will have to pay £1m to bring Julian Alvarez to the Etihad in the summer, River Plate's president has confirmed.
City signed Alvarez in January for £14.1m, allowing him to remain at River Plate until at least the summer, with their season beginning in February. Alvarez has started the campaign well, scoring eight and providing three assists in 14 games. He continued that good form with a hat-trick this week against Sarmiento Junin in just over an hour — his second of the season.
River Plate's president and vice-president spoke last week of their expectations that City will exercise their right to bring Alvarez to the Etihad for pre-season in July, as Pep Guardiola has repeatedly indicated is the plan. Now, though, River president Jorge Brito has confirmed City must pay a pre-agreed fee of €1.2m (£1m) if they go down that route.
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Speaking to Radio La Red (via InfoBae ), Brito said: “When we started negotiations with City, the amounts were much lower and obviously what they wanted was to take him on the spot. At that time we made a lot of effort so that the amount they paid was around the termination clause and we tried to retain him for six months.
"We set the date after July 7 so that [River] could play the second leg of the Copa Libertadores round of 16. If they do not exercise the clause of paying 1.2 million euros, he has to stay until December, but until it arrives in writing it is an assumption.
"Likewise, due to Guardiola's statements and the faces they made when we signed, it was that they were going to comply with the clause.”
Against Sarmiento Junin, Alvarez beat the offsde trap to finish confidently one-on-one, before cushioning in a cross at the back post for his second. His third saw him advance into the area and finish high into the near post top corner, echoing shades of former City striker Sergio Aguero.
