Madrid, Aug 10 (IANS) Argentina international Julian Alvarez eventually reported back for pre-season training at Atletico Madrid after the end of his holidays following the World Cup finals.
Alvarez has been the subject of constant transfer speculation this summer ever since saying in a press conference while with the Argentina national team that he believed that the best thing for both himself and Atletico was for the club to sell him this summer.
FC Barcelona has openly pursued its interest in Alvarez in recent months, and there was speculation that he could miss the start of his pre-season to try and pressure Atletico into agreeing a sale, but the 26-year-old reported for medical tests on Monday morning along with Spain internationals Marcos Llorente and Alex Baena and Argentine goalkeeper Juan Musso, reports Xinhua.
Alvarez is expected to report on Wednesday to work with the rest of the Atletico Madrid squad, which has been on a brief pre-season tour to South Korea.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid had a few days back confirmed the signing of South Korean international midfielder Lee Kang-in from Paris Saint-Germain.
The 25-year-old has signed a contract with Atletico until the end of June 2031 and returns to La Liga for a price reported to be around 40 million euros (around 45.5 million US dollars).
“A talented 25-year-old left-footed midfielder, he can play as an attacking midfielder or on either wing and is known for his vision, exquisite ball control, and passing and shooting ability,” said the Atletico Madrid official website.
Lee returns to La Liga after making a total of 124 appearances for PSG in all competitions, in which he scored 16 goals, winning two Champions League and three Ligue 1 titles.
The attacking midfielder joined the Valencia academy when he was just 10 years old, making his first team debut in 2018, before moving to Mallorca in 2021, where he stayed for two years.
He has also played 50 times for his country, including in both the 2022 and 2026 World Cups.
Atletico has now made three signings this summer, bringing in Spain left back Alex Grimaldo and Danish midfielder Morten Hjulmand.
–IANS
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