Manchester City have confirmed the £14m signing of Argentinian striker Julian Alvarez from River Plate.
The 22-year-old has signed a five-and-a-half-year deal with the club, although he will not join up with Pep Guardiola's side until July at the earliest.
There is a possibility that the highly rated striker, whose 18 goals helped fire River Plate to the Argentine Primera Division in 2021, will not arrive at City until as late as December, depending on a number of circumstances.
So, what are those circumstances? Here are the key dates coming up this year that will determine when Alvarez packs his bags for Manchester.
February 1
Tomorrow, Alvarez will be involved in Argentina's World Cup qualifier against Colombia. The Albiceleste have already secured their place at the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar. Alvarez has six senior Argentina caps to his name, having made his debut in June last year.
February 12
River Plate kick-off their 2022 Argentine League Cup campaign with a trip to Club Atletico Union in the city of Santa Fe.
In Argentina the cup precedes the regular league season, with River playing in a 14-team round-robin league between February and May. If they finish in the top four of the table, they will progress to the quarter-finals, with the final played at the end of May.
March 24 & 29
Argentina will face Venezuela and Ecuador respectively in their final World Cup qualifiers. City and Guardiola might hope Alvarez has progressed beyond bench duty with his country by this point.
April 5-7
After earning a high seeding due to winning the Argentine top flight last season, River Plate will not enter the Copa Libertadores - the South American equivalent of the Champions League - until the group stage phase begins at the start of April.
The six-game group stage will conclude at the end of May, when it will become clear whether or not River have qualified for the round of 16, to be played at the end of June.
The Libertadores is the most important competition for River, so it's likely that Alvarez will stay at the club as long as they are still in it.
On deadline day Avarez's agent Fernando Hidalgo said: "If River passes the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores, he can stay. In July, it'll be seen what is best for all parties."
June 2022
The regular league season will commence at the beginning of June, with River playing each of the other 27 teams in the top flight once. Whoever tops the table after the final matchday in October will be crowned league champions, as River were in 2021.
Both River and City have said that Alvarez will stay at River until 'at least' July, so it is not clear if he will stay longer to participate in the entire Argentine league season. Again, the Libertadores is likely to hold the key.
August 2-4
Should they get there, River will compete in the quarter-finals of the Libertadores. City's 2022/23 Premier League campaign will begin on the weekend of August 6.
August 30 - September 1
The semi-finals of the Libertadores take place about four weeks after the start of the new Premier League season.
September 6-7
Whether Alvarez is at City or not, the Blues will begin their Champions League group stage campaign slightly earlier than usual. The timeframe of the group phase will be condensed due to the winter World Cup, so will finish on 1-2 November.
October 29
The final of the Copa Libertadores will be held in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
November 6
The Champions Trophy, a match between the League Cup winners and the regular-season league champions in Argentina will be held just before the start of the 2022 World Cup.
November 21
The opening game of the 2022 World Cup - involving Qatar - will take place on November 21. Alvarez will likely be part of Argentina's 23-man squad. The final will take place on December 18.
February 2023
Even if Alvarez ends up staying at River Plate for the rest of 2022, he will be available for the Champions League round of 16, should City qualify.
Are you looking forward to seeing Julian Alvarez in sky blue? Follow our City Is Ours writer Alex Brotherton on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts in the comments section below.
