Atletico Madrid announced on August 12 that they had signed 24-year-old striker Julian Alvarez from Man City on a six-year deal for a transfer fee that could reach $104M

Atletico said Alvarez had passed his medical and signed a six-year contract with the club, until the summer of 2030. “The Argentine striker is versatile, quick, technical and has the ability to coordinate well with his teammates,” Atletico’s website said. “He can also play as a playmaker.”

Alvarez is Atletico’s second-most expensive signing of all time, after Joao Felix from Benfica for $138 million in 2019. Argentine coach Diego Simeone is considered a reason why Alvarez chose to join Atletico, instead of PSG.

At the same time, Man City also posted five tributes to Alvarez, including farewell news, achievements, and photos and videos of the Argentine striker’s best moments during his two seasons at Etihad. The 24-year-old striker scored 36 goals in 103 matches for Man City, helping the team win the treble in his first season and set a record of four consecutive Premier League titles.

According to BBC, Man City received an initial transfer fee of 82 million USD, and could be paid an additional 22 million USD depending on Alvarez’s achievements at Atletico. The total transfer fee that Atletico has to pay could be up to 104 million USD. In any case, Alvarez is the player that Man City sold for the highest price of all time, surpassing the sale of Raheem Sterling to Chelsea for 61 million USD in the summer of 2022.

With Alvarez, Atletico promises to create a three-horse race in La Liga 2024-2025, with Real Madrid and Barca. Simeone has six mature strikers at his disposal, including Antoine Griezmann, Alvarez, Felix, Angel Correa, Samu Omorodion and Alexander Sorloth. Felix may leave, while Griezmann plays as a midfielder.

Alvarez was born in 2000, grew up at River Plate’s training ground, played five seasons in Argentina, scored 54 goals in 122 matches, before joining Man City in the summer of 2022 with a transfer fee of only 18 million USD. He has won almost every title possible, such as Copa Libertadores, Premier League, Champions League, Copa America and especially the World Cup.