Manchester City had been in talks with CA Vélez Sarsfield over a deal for Máximo Perrone since December, but Fabrizio Romano says they’ve finally signed the paperwork to complete the transfer.
Romano revealed on Twitter that a five-and-a-half-year deal was done in December but wasn’t finalised until January. César Luis Merlo said on Twitter days ago that City paid €9.3m (£8.2m) but won’t get Perrone until he’s finished at the 2023 South American U20 Championship.
The 20-year-old rose through the youth ranks to Velez’s first-team in January 2022 and has gone on to make 33 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals with two assists. He’s a defensive-midfielder who’s been a regular in Argentina, but it remains to be seen if he’ll feature much for City this season.
Perrone would have Rodri and Kalvin Phillips for competition, so it makes more sense to loan him out for the remainder of the campaign like Pep Guardiola did with Julian Alvarez last season. City don’t tend to do serious business in January and Perrone may not be primed for the first-team straight away.
In other news, Steve Howey says ‘excellent’ Riyad Mahrez is a ‘defender’s nightmare’
For more Manchester City news and opinion, please follow our Vital Football page on Facebook – Vital Man City. Click the link and get involved!
Can you name these Man City players from the 2000s? Test your knowledge, take the quiz and challenge your friends and family to beat your score