Manchester City believe they have landed one of the top young talents in South American football after completing a deal for Julian Alvarez.
The 22-year-old is now a Blues player, but will remain on loan at River Plate either until July or December, depending on the club’s progress in the Copa Libertadores.
City sources say the fee was just over £14million, while reports in Argentina place it at around £17.9million — the discrepancy is thought to be due to the way the taxes on the deal are calculated.
City’s South American recruitment team completed the negotiations last week, with Alvarez currently with the Argentina squad for this week’s World Cup qualifying games.
The fact that he is not expected to join the Blues for at least another six months — probably 12 — has meant there has been no big fanfare around the announcement of Alvarez.
But football director Txiki Begiristain said that City have been scouting him for a while.
“Julian is a player we have monitored for some time,” he said.
“He is capable of operating in a number of attacking roles, and we firmly believe he's one of the best young attacking players in South America.
“I am so happy we have managed to bring him to Manchester City. I really believe we can provide him with the right conditions to fulfil his potential and become a top player.”
Alvarez, who turned 22 today, has signed a five-and-a-half year deal with City.
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