Barcelona 'to rival Manchester United, Manchester City, Real Madrid for Julian Alvarez'

Barcelona are reportedly ready to battle Manchester United, Manchester City and Real Madrid for the signature of River Plate forward Julian Alvarez during the January transfer window.

The 21-year-old has scored 33 goals and registered 24 assists in 94 appearances for his Argentine club since making his first-team debut in 2018.

A recent report claimed that a host of clubs, including Man United, Man City and Real Madrid, were keen to sign the attacker at the start of 2022.

According to Italian journalist Gianluigi Longari, there is also serious interest from Barcelona, who have identified the five-time Argentina international as the ideal player to improve their attack in the second half of the 2021-22 campaign.

Alvarez, who has scored 21 goals and registered 14 assists in 44 appearances at club level this season, is believed to have a €25m (£21.3m) release clause in his current deal.

The South American has been with River since 2013 but had a trial at Real Madrid when he was just 11 years old.