Manchester City have reached an agreement with River Plate player Julian Alvarez. The English will pay 14 million pounds for the services of the attacker, who has accepted a 5-year contract with the "citizens". However, Alvarez will stay at River Plate on loan until the end of this season.
President of the Argentine club, Jorge Brito, said City have been willing to pay the clause for terminating the striker's contract. According to Jorge, his departure was inevitable. He said:
"When you look at everything that Julian has achieved, it was very likely that a club would pay the clause for the termination of his contract. The most difficult thing was to accept a move on loan, as Julian is practically irreplaceable in the team. "
The footballer has scored 36 goals in 96 appearances with River Plate, as well as being active 6 times with the Argentine national team. Alvarez is considered one of the most promising talents in Latin America. The striker was part of Argentina when the latter triumphed in the Copa America.
Sports Director i Manchester City, Txiki Begiristain, expressed quite optimistic about the future of talent at the Etihad:
"I really believe we can offer him (Alvarez) the optimal conditions to reach his full potential and become one of the best players."
River Plate coach Marcelo Gallardo said he was pleased the player would stay in Argentina until the end of the season:
"It is a good deal as he will stay with us for a while while later joining a big club. "At the moment City do not need him, while we do not need to look for a player of his caliber, which would be very difficult."