Arsenal and Chelsea sent Julian Alvarez transfer message as fresh Man City stance emerges

Manchester City reportedly do not want to sell Arsenal and Chelsea-linked Julian Alvarez this summer.

Recent reports have claimed that the 24-year-old could leave the Premier League champions. Alvarez scored 19 goals across all competitions for Pep Guardiola's side last term but Erling Haaland remains City's first-choice option as a sole striker up front.

And Robin Bairner, chief editor of Football Transfers has offered an update on Alvarez's future. He claims that the Argentina international is still in City's plans, but if he does leave it is unlikely he will be allowed to join title rivals Arsenal.

“From what I’ve heard, City don’t want to give up Álvarez unless he specifically comes out and says I want to leave," he said via PSG Talk Extra Time.

"Now, he’s not done that yet, so his situation is a bit up in the air. In terms of teams that he might go to, Arsenal is potentially one. We’ve seen Manchester City players go there in the past, notably Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko.

"But I don’t think City are really realistically going to want to sell him to Arsenal, given that they’re clearly their closest rivals in the Premier League.

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“So I think it’d be a very difficult deal to get done. We’ve seen Chelsea are interested in him, too. Again, it’s a difficult one to get done for them because of the financial aspect of it. They’re labouring a little bit in terms of raising money to sign players because of the financials, and obviously [they] don’t have Champions League football as well.

"So I think it would be very surprising to move elsewhere in the Premier League, and I would say that PSG are clear favourites in this one.”

Alvarez has recently suggested he may leave the Etihad this summer. “These are things that are said, but I’m calm,” the City forward told ESPN Argentina. “I feel good, and I’m happy at Manchester City, but we will see what happens.”