River Plate manager Marcelo Gallardo has revealed that Manchester City-bound Julian Alvarez could remain on loan with the club for the rest of the year.
The Citizens are closing in on the signing of the 21-year-old for a fee in the region of £17m, with the forward expected to remain in South America on loan.
Speaking to ESPN in Argentina after River Plate's 3-0 friendly win over Platense on Saturday, Gallardo said: "Yes, in theory until June and there's also a chance he might stay until December, but that's for another day.
"As for having him here with us and the chance to finish the year here, River Plate have negotiated very well.
"A huge club came in for him. We're not talking about a second-rate club, but one of the biggest in the world with financial power and, at the moment, that's enabled us to hold on to the player because there's no place for him [at Manchester City] or they don't need him right now.
"We'll see if he stays here in June or not, but it keeps that option open. It would've been very difficult for us to go out and try to sign a player with his attributes in this transfer window if he left now."
River Plate are understood to be keen to keep hold of Alvarez for their 2022 Copa Libertadores campaign, which would finish in October at the latest if they were to reach the final, while their domestic season would come to a close in early December.
Oliver Thomas
