River Plate boss Marcelo Gallardo has sent a plea to Pep Guardiola to allow Julian Alvarez to postpone his arrival at Manchester City after the striker’s six-goal salvo in the Copa Libertadores.
Avarez, who walked away with two match balls as his team thrashed Alianza Lima 8-1 in their final group game, is scheduled to join the Premier League champions in July. City paid £14million for the 22-year-old in January and agreed to allow him to remain with River Plate for a further 12 months.
But Guardiola wants to pair Alvarez with £51million Erling Haaland next season - and City will pay a further £1.3million to terminate the loan-back agreement early. Gallardo would love Alvarez to lead his attack in the knock-out stages of South America’s version of the Champions League.
