Manchester City 'closing in on Maximo Perrone signing'

Manchester City are reportedly closing in on the signing of Velez Sarsfield starlet Maximo Perrone.

The 19-year-old defensive midfielder established himself as a key player for the Argentine outfit during the 2022 campaign, featuring regularly in the Primera Division and Copa Libertadores.

Perrone has just a year remaining on his contract and is understood to have attracted interest from a number of clubs including Premier League champions Man City.

The likes of Newcastle United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Benfica have also been linked with a possible swoop for the youngster, but City are now expected to win the race for his signature.

According to Ole, the Citizens are close to completing a January deal for Perrone and are prepared to activate the $9m (£7.4m) release clause in his contract.

The report adds that Perrone is poised to link up with Pep Guardiola's squad where he will be assessed during the second half of the 2022-23 campaign before the club decide whether to loan him out next season.

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Perrone is set to be named in Argentina's squad for the South American Under-20 Championship in Colombia, which begins on January 19 and runs until February 12.

The midfielder featured seven times for Argentina's Under-16s side before making his Under-20s debut under head coach Javier Mascherano in a 2-2 friendly draw against the USA in March.

Perrone also made his professional debut for Velez in March and has since made a total of 33 appearances across all competitions, scoring three goals and providing two assists.

Man City have identified Perrone as 'another Argentinian jewel' after the arrival of Julian Alvarez from River Plate in the previous January transfer window.

Alvarez remained in his homeland on loan before joining the Citizens in the summer and he has since made a bright start to his career at the Etihad Stadium, scoring seven goals in 20 games across all tournaments.

The 22-year-old also starred for Argentina's senior team who went all the way to lift the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, with City's No.19 scoring four goals and registering one assist in five starts.

Elsewhere, Man City are reportedly weighing up a potential move to sign Real Madrid left-back Ferland Mendy.