Manchester City confirmed the signing of Velez Sarsfield midfielder Maximo Perrone on Monday evening, agreeing a five-and-a-half-year deal with the 20-year-old. Fabrizio Romano said on Twitter that Perrone cost €9m (£7.9m) and he’s the 11th Argentinean player to make the switch.
The highly-rated youngster made 33 appearances in all competitions for Velez, scoring three goals with two assists. He’s currently playing for Argentina at the 2023 South American U20 Championship and will be available to City when the tournament has ended in mid-February.
City aren’t shy to signing players from the South American nation – Pablo Zabaleta, Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero, Martin Demichelis, Bruno Zuculini, Willy Caballero, Nicolas Otamendi, Geronimo Rulli, Nahuel Bustos, Julian Alvarez – but Perrone might not make an instant impact.
He’s a defensive-midfielder with Rodri and Kalvin Phillips for competition, let alone still being inexperienced at senior level, so fans may have to temper their expectations. Plus he might need an extended break after returning from the U20 Championship, so time will tell if he makes an outing next month.
In other news, ship has sailed on Pep Guardiola making his ‘dream’ signing from Arsenal
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