Pep Guardiola has said Manchester City had no choice but to accept Atletico Madrid's offer for Julian Alvarez because he told the club he wants to leave.
ESPN has reported that Alvarez will move to Atletico for a fee that could rise to £82 million (US$104.2 million).
The Argentina international has been a key player at the Etihad Stadium over the past two years but Guardiola said the club were not in a position to block the deal.
“I don't like telling players what to do,” Guardiola said at a news conference on Friday.
“Contracts are good, but they can be broken. If you're not happy, why should you be here?
“He is a player who is very much loved by the team for his behaviour, but as I have said many times about players, if he wants to leave and wants a new challenge (Atletico is a top club in Spain and Europe), and when they suggested to me through the club that he wanted to leave, I said it was fine. Imagine if he stays when he doesn't want to stay?”
Álvarez has scored 36 goals in 103 games since joining from River Plate in 2022.
He has won two Premier League titles, the Champions League and the FA Cup during his time in Manchester, but Guardiola has suggested the 24-year-old has been motivated to leave because he wants to start more often.
“I don't know the reason. He said he wants a new challenge and he feels that's what he has to do,” Guardiola said.
“He played a lot last season and at times played with Erling. [Haaland] But I understand that at some important moments he may have thought he was going to play. I respect him a lot.”
Alvarez's decision leaves City and Guardiola with a dilemma over whether or not to reinvest the money in another striker before the transfer deadline.
“I don't know yet,” Guardiola said. “We talk every day and see what happens. I don't know yet. It could happen, but it couldn't happen.”
