Man Utd striker on Atletico Madrid radar as Alvarez transfer plan made

Atletico Madrid are keeping tabs on Joshua Zirkzee as they make plans should Julian Alvarez leave the Spanish capital late in the transfer window.

Alvarez's future has been front and centre for much of the summer with the Argentine expressing a desire to leave as he skipped training this week. Barcelona are his preferred destination but Atletico are refusing to sell to their La Liga rivals.

The only obvious exit route is Arsenal, who retain an interest but the £100m plus price tag could prove an issue. If any move does materialise it will be in the final days of the window and Atletico could look to Manchester United's out of favour Dutchman as a replacement.

The Daily Mail reports that Atletico are tracking his situation with Zirkzee poised to move on in the coming days. Juventus have been heavily linked throughout the window but Fiorentina now look to be leading the race ahead of a possible loan move.

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Zirkzee's best football came when he was i Italy with Bologna, which prompted United to sign him two summers ago. However he's struggled for goals and the club have since poured money into their frontline, adding the likes of Benjamin Sesko and Bryan Mbeumo, which has pushed Zirkzee down the pecking order.

Marcus Rashford has also returned to Old Trafford following 18 months away from the club. He came off the bench in the opening day defeat at Hull and would appear to be above Zirkzee in Michael Carrick's mind.

Since moving to Manchester for £36.5million the Dutchman has scored just nine times in two seasons - coming up with two goals last term.

Atletico have relied on Alvarez to be their main man in attack, but would still possess quality even if he does leave. Diego Simeone has the likes of Norwegian Alexander Sorloth and former Atalanta man Ademola Lookman among his options.

The club's CEO Gil Marin has doubled down on the fact Alvarez will now head to the Nou Camp. He told Spanish media: "I’ve been in the football world for more than 30 years. My word is one of the few things I have. As long as I am CEO, Julian Alvarez will not be transferred to FC Barcelona. That is absolutely certain."

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