Manchester City are reportedly set to complete the signing of Maximo Perrone from Velez Sarsfield this week.
The Citizens are understood to have begun negotiations with the Argentine club in December over a deal to recruit the highly-rated defensive midfielder, who celebrated his 20th birthday on Saturday.
Perrone made his professional debut for Velez in March last year and quickly developed into a key player during the 2022 campaign, scoring three goals in 33 appearances across the Primera Division and Copa Libertadores.
The youngster's rapid rise has caught the eye of Premier League champions Man City and he is now set to become their first signing of the winter window.
According to the Daily Mail, the Citizens have agreed a fee in the region of £6.5m to sign Perrone and his transfer to the Etihad Stadium is set to be finalised at some stage this week.
Newcastle United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Benfica have also been credited with an interest in Perrone this month, but City have seemingly won the race for his signature.
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Perrone is expected to link up with Pep Guardiola's side and he will be assessed during the second half of this campaign before a decision is made on whether he will remain with the squad or heads out on loan next season.
The midfielder will first join up with Argentina's Under-20 squad ahead of the South American Under-20 Championships, which begins on January 19 and runs until February 12.
Argentina's Under-20s are coached by former Liverpool and Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano, who is understood to have spoken to Guardiola about Perrone's potential.
The youngster featured seven times for Argentina's Under-16s before making his Under-20s debut under Mascherano in March, playing for 45 minutes in a 2-2 friendly draw against the USA.
Perrone is set to become the second highly-rated Argentine within the last 12 months to swap his homeland for the Etihad after Julian Alvarez, who completed his move to City from River Plate in January 2022.
Alvarez remained with River on loan before joining City's squad in the summer, and the 2022 World Cup winner has since impressed when called upon by Guardiola, scoring eight goals in 22 appearances across all competitions.
Oliver Thomas
