(Football news) Having failed to sign Harry Kane in the summer transfer window, Manchester City are in talks with Argentinian club River Plate’s 21 year old striker Julian Alvarez. The striker has a contract with his club until December 2022 but a fee in the region of £15m-£17m could be enough to lure the striker to the blue half of Manchester.

A host of top club’s have been tracking Alvarez for a long time and the striker has scored 36 goals and contributed 25 assists in 96 appearances for River Plate, he also has five caps for the Argentinian national team. The reigning champions of England have sorely missed a striker since the departure of their all time top scorer Sergio Aguero. 

Despite having only a few options in the striking department, City have already maintained a healthy lead at the top of the Premier League table and are currently 11 points above second place Liverpool but have played a game more. A move for the 21 year old would mean that Alvarez would not sign for Manchester City until June at the earliest and his agent has already traveled to London and Madrid for talks with other clubs.

One of the other reasons that City would be keen to sign Alvarez is that he has been a regular in the Argentine Primera, Copa Libertadores and a full Argentina international which means the 21 year old easily qualifies for a GBE, the new form of a ‘work permit’ which has proved to be a hurdle previously for Premier League clubs to sign young South American players. It’s expected that the striker’s qualities and versatility will adapt well to Pep Guardiola’s system and could provide a long-term option for Manchester City’s attack.

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