Manchester City are set to sign Maximo Perrone from Argentine side Velez Sarsfield.
The 20-year-old midfielder has been dubbed the 'next Frenkie de Jong' and was believed to be a transfer target for rivals Manchester United. The Red Devils failed to sign the actual De Jong, who played under Erik ten Hag at Ajax, from Barcelona last summer.
Pep Guardiola's side have been chasing Perrone's signature for a number of months and it appears they have now secured his services. The emerging star was spotted by former United defender Gabriel Heinze during his time in charge of Velez between 2017 and 2020.
As reported by TYC Sports, City have agreed to pay €9.3million (£8.2m) for Perrone. His current contract at Velez, which contains a buyout clause of €8m (£7m), expires at the end of 2023. It is unclear why City have payed a slightly higher amount than the buyout clause.
Perrone has enjoyed a meteoric rise at Velez. He broke into the first team last season and made 33 appearances in all competitions - helping them reach the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores, where they lost 6-1 on aggregate to eventual winners Flamengo.
Frustratingly for Perrone, injury denied him the chance to play in that semi-final tie. He was forced to miss several games due to the complaint, but he still played enough to attract the likes of City. Perrone was even handed the armband, despite his age.
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Perrone has been compared to De Jong and Real Madrid superstar Federico Valverde. He is known as a defensive midfielder who likes to sit deep and dictate the play. He is currently playing in the South American U20 Championship, which ends next month.
Perrone is expected to travel to England for a medical once he has finished his international commitments. That could be a problem due to the duration of the ongoing tournament, although there is always a chance he could undergo his medical in South America.
City have used the South American market to their advantage in recent years. Dario Sarmiento, Kayky, Yan Couto, Nahuel Bustos, Diego Rosa and World Cup winner Julian Alvarez have all been signed from South American clubs since the summer of 2020.
Perrone was snapped up by Velez's academy while Heinze was their manager. United fans will remember the former Argentina international for his injury-hit spell at Old Trafford between 2004 and 2007, as he featured 83 times in all competitions.
Heinze joined the Red Devils from Paris Saint-Germain at a time when Arsenal and Chelsea were the dominant forces in the Premier League and Sir Alex Ferguson was rebuilding his team. As such, the only trophy he won was the Premier League title in May 2007.
Heinze joined Real Madrid that summer, as United went on to become one of the best teams in Europe again under Ferguson. He later played for Marseille and Roma before becoming a manager - enjoying spells with Godoy Cruz, Argentinos Juniors, Velez and Atlanta United. Heinze was appointed as manager by Argentine side Newell's Old Boys last October.
