Manchester City in line for multi-million payment as World Cup winner attempts to force exit | OneFootball

Manchester City stand to receive a potentially timely financial windfall after Julian Alvarez publicly requested a transfer away from Atletico Madrid.

Alvarez left Manchester City for Atletico Madrid in 2024 in a deal that initially stood at £64.4 million, rising to £81.5 million with add-ons – the most lucrative sale in the club’s history.

The Argentine had spent two years under Pep Guardiola, winning six major trophies including a historic treble in the 2022-23 season, before seeking a more prominent role with regular first-team football as Erling Haaland‘s deputy proved an increasingly difficult ceiling to overcome.

Alvarez has since gone on to establish himself as one of the most sought-after forwards in world football, scoring 49 goals in 106 appearances for Atletico, including 20 last season.

The 26-year-old’s FIFA World Cup form with Argentina has only intensified the speculation surrounding him – with Barcelona, Real Madrid, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain also reported to be interested in acquiring his services ahead of the new season.

The saga reached a new juncture when, following Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Austria in Arlington, Texas, Alvarez publicly confirmed to reporters his desire to leave the club – a statement that immediately drew an angry response from Atletico, who ruled out a sale to Barcelona and pointed instead to the Argentine’s £430 million release clause as the only possible exit route for rivals to consider.

Manchester City had inserted sell-on clause protection into the original deal when Alvarez departed, with the developing transfer situation at the Wanda Metropolitano now putting the value of that clause into sharper focus.

Report: City’s sell-on clause amid £130m bid speculation

As reported by the Manchester Evening News, City could receive between £4-7 million in the event of Alvarez departing Atletico for a fee in the region of £130 million – a figure broadly aligned with what Real Madrid had already bid and had rejected.

The clause is structured as a 10 percent sell-on on any profit Atletico make above the original fee paid to City. Given the Blues received £81.5 million in total including add-ons, a £130 million deal would generate a profit of roughly £48-49 million for Atletico – with 10 percent of that figure falling back to the Etihad Stadium.

The exact sum will naturally depend on the final agreed transfer fee, which remains far from settled given Atletico’s insistence on their valuation and the considerable distance between that and what Barcelona, who have reportedly reached a five-year contract agreement with Alvarez, are believed to be willing to pay.

There has been reporting elsewhere around the release clause mechanics – that provisions exist for certain UEFA Champions League clubs including Barcelona to sign Alvarez for a figure around €150 million inclusive of taxes – a detail that underlines how much complexity surrounds the structure of any eventual deal.

What would a sell-on windfall mean for Man City?

In isolation, a payment in the region of £4-7 million would represent a relatively modest addition to City’s summer budget but it arrives at a moment when director of football Hugo Viana is managing a considerable volume of transfer expenditure simultaneously.

City’s club-record pursuit of Nottingham Forest and England midfield superstar Elliot Anderson is at an advanced stage amid a right-back search, with a winger also expected to be recruited before pre-season begins in July.

City’s foresight in protecting themselves contractually when sanctioning Alvarez’s departure also says something about how the club’s recruitment model operates – a pattern visible too in the 20 percent sell-on clause inserted into Liam Delap‘s sale to Ipswich Town, which has similarly drawn attention as the striker’s market value has climbed.

Whether the Alvarez saga resolves itself before or after the World Cup remains to be seen, with Atletico determined to hold firm and Barcelona unwilling to fully meet their valuation.

For City, the outcome matters less in footballing terms than it does financially but whichever club ultimately signs the Argentine, a quiet windfall back to the Etihad Stadium looks increasingly likely.