Manchester City have confirmed the signing of promising Velez Sarsfield midfielder Maximo Perrone in a deal worth a reported £8 million ($9.9 million).

Perrone, who played for Argentina’s Under-20 team, signed a five-and-a-half-year deal with the Premier League champions.

The 20-year-old is playing in the South American Under-20 Championship in Colombia right now. When the tournament is over, he will join City.

He will train with Pep Guardiola’s first-team squad for the rest of the season, but he was brought in with an eye on the future and is not expected to play this season.

Since his first game for Velez in March of last year, Perrone has played 33 times and scored three goals.

We’re delighted to have completed the signing of Máximo Perrone from Vélez Sarsfield. The midfielder will join us after the U-20 South American Championship.

Welcome, Máximo! 💙🇦🇷#ManCity

— Manchester City (@ManCity) January 23, 2023