Manchester City sign Julian Alvarez, prodigy stays at River Plate on loan

Manchester City completed one of the most enviable deals of the January transfer window on Monday with the signing of Julian Alvarez from River Plate.

The attacker, who turned 22 today, could reportedly cost the Premier League champions less than €20 million. He will stay on loan at River Plate until July at the earliest before he's integrated into Pep Guardiola's squad.

Alvarez inked a five-and-a-half-year contract with City.

"Julian is a player we have monitored for some time. He is capable of operating in a number of attacking roles, and we firmly believe he's one of the best young attacking players in South America," director of football Txiki Begiristain said. "I am so happy we have managed to bring him to Manchester City. I really believe we can provide him with the right conditions to fulfil his potential and become a top player."

AC Milan, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and other European heavyweights were apparently tracking the Argentine prodigy. Instead, he opted to join a club for whom Sergio Aguero, a key influence on Alvarez's career, is an icon.

"I like Kun Aguero a lot, and I try to copy his movements," Alvarez told La Nacion in 2019, according to Sky Sports' Nick Wright.

Alvarez's reputation has sky-rocketed over the past year. The forward was always highly regarded in his youth - he trained with Real Madrid when he was a teenager - but he proved his readiness for a high-profile transfer to Europe through his recent exploits for River Plate. He's scored 19 goals and racked up seven assists over his last 16 appearances for the club, playing a prominent role as River Plate won the Argentine Primera Division.

He's already represented his country six times as well, and he's expected to be part of the squad that welcomes Colombia to the Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes for Monday's World Cup qualifier.