Beltran: I know Fiorentina were close to signing Alvarez

The Viola striker has long been friends with Alvarez.

And he revealed to Cronache di Spogliatoio: "I've known him since I was a child. When he was at River Plate, Fiorentina made him an offer.

"They didn't reach an agreement, but it's true that there was a negotiation. I don't know how close it was to being concluded.

"Last week he came to Florence, I was his tour guide: I took him to eat at Omero, a Florentine restaurant, and then we went downtown for a walk and an ice cream. There was no need to put on a hood: it was raining, there weren't too many people and so we were calm.

"And then here they recognise me more: of course, then they put one plus one together..."