Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has revealed that Manchester City let Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling leave this summer to join Chelsea and Arsenal as the club did not want to "block" Julian Alvarez's path.
The summer transfer window saw the club bid farewell to Jesus and Sterling, as the pair swapped Manchester for the nation's capital. Oleksandr Zinchenko also joined the Brazilian at Arsenal, with Pep Guardiola overseeing a shake-up to his current squad.
There has since been some concern over City's decision to sanction Jesus' move, with Mikel Arteta's side finding themselves five points clear of the Blues at the top of the league. The 25-year-old has been a vital part of the Gunners' form this season, with the striker spearheading their attack - a knee injury while in Qatar that required surgery looks to have ruled the Brazilian out of action for three months.
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Sterling's departure saw Kevin de Bruyne become the club's new longest-serving player, as the winger moved on after 338 appearances and four Premier League titles at City. Although there are few sides that can boast such squad depth as the Blues, there was still some surprise that both Jesus and Sterling were allowed to leave in the same window.
Erling Haaland's fine form in front of goal has somewhat alleviated those concerns, yet it has now surfaced that there is a specific reason why the club allowed the pair to depart over the summer.
Neville revealed to the Sky Sports World Cup Podcast that he had been told by an insider at the club that they rate Alvarez so highly that they were willing to let Jesus and Sterling go to allow the Argentine striker to develop as much as possible.
He said: “I was told a year ago when City let Jesus and Sterling go – because I was quite surprised that City let both go at the same time – that this kid [Alvarez] was the reason.
“Someone said that to me, that is quite close to City, that he was the reason and they didn’t want to block his path.”
Alvarez has been sensational during his time in Qatar and will have the chance to become a World Cup winner at the age of 22 when Argentina take on France in Sunday's World Cup final.
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