Manchester City's signing of Maximo Perrone has captured the imagination of plenty as the club returns to Argentina to try to pick up another bargain.
The impact of Julian Alvarez since arriving in the summer has heightened expectations for any arrival from South America, given the former River Plate forward hit the ground running at the Etihad and also has a World Cup medal to carry around forever. Pep Guardiola has been a firm favourite from the start and Alvarez impresses more with each passing month.
Can Perrone follow that same path? It's a long shot but it isn't impossible.
Also read: Man City could see early Maximo Perrone arrival
The 20-year-old midfielder will be given the chance to train with the City first team for the rest of this season once he is finished with his Argentina duties at the Under-20 World Cup. He can acclimatise to the city, get used to the rhythm and demands of the squad, then a decision will be made in summer over where he will be playing his football next season.
Alvarez of course impressed enough to stay in Manchester this year, although it is worth remembering two things: first, the striker caught the eye while playing senior football for River, scoring goals with value rather than simply in training; secondly, he surpassed expectations to mean that any loan deals that had been mooted were not needed.
City have signed many other South Americans in recent years - Kayky being a high-profile example - who have come to train with the first-team squad but then not made enough of a mark to stick around. And if Perrone is going to have Rodri and Kalvin Phillips for competition for a first-team place, the best option may well be to go out on loan next season for regular football in a similar way to promising midfielder Romeo Lavia, who has impressed at Southampton this year.
The fact that the Blues have not chosen to cut short Perrone's time at the South American Championships - unlike, for example, Aston Villa with their new signing Jhon Duran - indicates that the City signing is a developmental one rather than somebody brought in to have an immediate first-team impact. There is the potential for him to play for the first team this season, although that is not the primary reason for the 20-year-old to spend the next few months in Manchester.
It suits all parties though to have Alvarez as a reference point - in the same way that Phil Foden and Cole Palmer have helped Rico Lewis. The club know that there is the possibility for them to be surprised, while the player can feel more hopeful of breaking into the squad knowing that another youngster did what he is trying to achieve very recently.
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