Manchester City will reportedly announce the signing of River Plate star and Argentine talent Julian Alvarez in the coming days.
90min claim that the Premier League leaders are ‘set to confirm’ the capture of the 21-year-old attacker soon. As per the report, the deal will cost City £20m and will see Alvarez remain at River until the summer.
Alvarez is one of South America’s hottest talents and has been chased by a host of European clubs this window. As reported by Gazzetta dello Sport, Napoli and AC Milan have met with the player’s agent over January to propose a potential deal.
However, it appears that City have won the race for the youngster. Alvarez was a key part of River’s league-winning season, with the attacker bagging 22 goals and winning the South American Player of the Year award, drawing comparisons to the likes of Neymar as per Expreso.
A versatile attacker who can as both a striker and out on the wing, Alvarez could be City’s long-term answer to Sergio Aguero, with Pep Guardiola unable to sign a replacement for the Premier League legend in the summer.
Whilst Alvarez is set to return to Argentina should the deal come through, the 21-year-old has all the qualities to be a real presence in the Premier League, with City already having a success story in Gabriel Jesus of a player who flourished straight from South America.
Alvarez has the potential to replace Aguero long-term for City
Replacing a player as great as Aguero will be a difficult task for City, however, in Alvarez, they have a talent who could have the potential and quality to do just that in the coming years.
The 21-year-old is one of the most exciting Argentine talents to emerge in some time. And at a club like City, Alvarez could have a starring role in the striking position under Pep Guardiola, who could be the perfect coach for the youngster.
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