Manchester City have confirmed the signing of Julian Alvarez from River Plate in a deal worth in the region of £17m.
Alvarez has signed a five-and-a-half year contract with the Premier League champions, but will remain on loan with River Plate until July at the earliest.
City have beaten competition from a host of Europe’s leading clubs to sign the 22-year-old, who was named as South America’s Footballer of the Year in 2021 after finishing as the leading scorer in Argentina.
He has scored 36 goals and provided 25 assists in 96 appearances for River Plate and broke into the Argentina national side last summer, forming part of the squad that won the Copa America.
City have confirmed the deal on the club’s official website with Director of Football Txiki Begiristain having expressed his delight at the signing of a forward with huge potential.
“Julian is a player we have monitored for some time,” Begiristain 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.”
