Manchester City look set to complete the signing of Maximo Perrone from Velez Sarsfield this week, and the Argentine could prove to be the ideal heir to Rodri in Pep Guardiola‘s side.
Recent reports have suggested that the Citizens have won the race to sign the exciting 19-year-old, beating Premier League rivals Newcastle United and Wolves to one of Argentina’s top young talents.
The midfielder will move to Manchester on a £6.5m deal which could be confirmed in the next few days, although he will only join once the South America Under-20 Championship has been completed.
Perrone only made his professional debut last March but he has made a big impression since then, contributing three goals and two assists in 33 appearances for Velez Sarsfield, playing predominantly as a defensive midfielder.
According to FBref, the young midfielder excels at tackling, assisting and blocking, ranking in the 96th, 91st and 86th percentile for each of these statistics among positional peers in the ‘Men’s Next 8 Competitions’, all of which make him an ideal candidate to feature at defensive midfield in a Guardiola team.
Although Rodri is still relatively young and could easily play in City’s first team for another decade, Perrone could be a natural heir for the 26-year-old at the Etihad Stadium, given that no player in Guardiola’s squad has averaged more tackles per game in the Premier League so far this term.
Since joining City in 2019, the former Atletico Madrid man has established himself as one of the best in the world in his position, making 176 appearances for his current employers, in which he has contributed 14 goals and 13 assists.
Many touted the Spaniard as a natural heir to Fernandinho, and Perrone could follow in his footsteps by playing alongside Rodri at the Etihad before potentially replacing him in the future.
Gabriel Heinze, the teenager’s boss at Velez Sarsfield, spotted his potential when he was just 17, dubbing him a “spectacular” talent; and under Guardiola’s coaching, there seems no reason why Perrone can’t live up to his obvious potential at Manchester City and potentially emulate Rodri in years to come.
