Manchester City plot Valencia loan for 19-year-old forward – Transfer under €16 million targeted | OneFootball

Officials at Manchester City are reportedly lining up a loan move for Maher Carrizo to La Liga, should they manager to sign the Argentina youth international this summer.

The 2023 treble winners have undergone a busy transfer window that has witnessed the high-profile departures of Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker, with director of football Hugo Viana wasting no time to freshen the squad after a disappointing 2024-25 campaign for City.

Pep Guardiola’s side finished third in the Premier League last term with their lowest points total (71) since the Catalan was appointed Manchester City manager in 2016, crashed out of the UEFA Champions League at the Round of 16 stage and lost the FA Cup final to Crystal Palace – marking a sobering year for the club after years of unparalleled success on the pitch.

Viana has brought in six new signings so far in this transfer window, with Rayan Ait-Nouri, Marcus Bettinelli, Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, Sverre Nypan and James Trafford bolstering Guardiola’s squad for the seasons to come as City look to reclaim the Premier League title from Liverpool next season and go further in the UEFA Champions League.

City secured the arrival(s) of Ait-Nouri, Bettinelli, Reijnders and Cherki in time for their FIFA Club World Cup commitments in June, with many of their new additions impressing in the United States before a disappointing 4-3 defeat to Al-Hilal in the Round of 16 saw the Blues return to Manchester in early July.

Rejuvenated after a three-and-a-half week break following a long-drawn 2024-25 campaign that stretched to the best part of 11 months, Guardiola’s first-team squad reported for pre-season training at the start of the week to begin their preparations for the upcoming season.

Trafford’s signing was made official on Monday, a week on from the arrival of Norwegian teenage midfielder Nypan – who is set to leave on loan for the 2025-26 campaign to gain experience with regular first-team minutes elsewhere.

City are also finalising loans for a string of first-team and up-and-coming stars, with Vitor Reis expected to complete a move to CFG-owned, sister club Girona – as Viana and co streamline Guardiola’s bloated squad between now and the closing of the transfer window on September 1.

According to the information of journalist César Luis Merlo, reporting for Picado TV, Manchester City could sign Vélez Sarsfield’s highly-rated 19-year-old forward Maher Carrizo and send him on loan to La Liga side Valencia.

It is claimed, as translated and relayed by Sport Witness, that there are advanced negotiations with Vélez Sarsfield to buy the Argentina Under-20 international for a fee less than his €16 million release clause, although the exact figures are unknown.

However, according to Valencia based journalist Julio Insa on X, it is impossible for Carrizo to arrive at the Mestalla should Manchester City buy the player this summer, with their first preference being a loan move to City Football Group sister club Girona.

Elsewhere, Manchester City are awaiting the permanent exit of England U-21 star James McAtee and are expected to sanction exits for out-of-favour pair Jack Grealish and Kalvin Phillips ahead of their Premier League opener away at Wolves on August 16 – a week on from their final pre-season friendly against Palermo in Italy.