Manchester City are unlikely to add new players to their roster during the remainder of the transfer window in January, but they are said to have reached an agreement with River Plate striker Julián Álvarez to arrive at the Etihad Stadium next summer.
Álvarez, who will join ‘The Citizens’ for 18.5 million euros, appeared in 45 games for River Plate last season in all competitions, scoring 24 goals and assisting 15 times.
According to a reputable source for football transfers, an Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, the 21-year-old forward will sign a five-year contract to join Man City in July after spending the rest of the ongoing season on loan at River Plate.
In January, There’ll Be No New Signings
Ferran Torres asked if he may leave Manchester City and join Barcelona earlier this month, and in regard to that, Pep Guardiola has stated that the ‘Sky Blues’ wouldn’t sign a replacement for his countryman, explicitly stressing that the club won’t bring in any striker in the first month of 2022. And, it’s the logical decision given that Man City sovereignly lead the Premier League charts and are favourites on the best Premier League betting sites round after round in their matches in the English elite.
The Spanish expert said this in December, indicating that he’s willing to put his faith in his present squad, which includes the 19-year-old Cole Palmer, who has been promoted to the first team.
Praise of the River Head Coach
Let’s get back to the 21-year-old Argentine prodigy. Despite the fact that Álvarez received and will continue receiving a lot of accolades because of his potential, River head coach Marcelo Gallardo wanted to emphasize the youngster’s professionalism and underline that he was focused on helping the Buenos Aires side achieve its goals amid uncertainty about his future back in November.
“He (Álvarez) is very focused. He’s a boy who doesn’t get caught up in the hype and everything that’s said about him. He takes what he’s experiencing in a good way so that it generates good motivation for him. He integrates himself into the team. There have been no changes in him. It’s difficult because he listens and it gets to him, but he has a good family, a good group of people around him,” said Gallardo for the media in Argentina.
Álvarez is considered a key figure, along with the above-mentioned coach, that propelled River to take three trophies last year: the Argentine Super Cup, the Professional League, and the Champions Trophy. The next big competition in which Alvarez is expected to lead River to the crown is the Professional League Cup, starting in February.
