Manchester City are closing in on the signing of young Argentine striker Julian Alvarez, according to the Daily Star.
Aston Villa were heavily linked with a move for Alvarez last summer, but he elected to remain with River Plate, where he played a key role in their title success.
Indeed, Alvarez ended the Liga Profesional campaign with 18 league goals to his name, more than any other player, and his rampant goalscoring form has seen him linked with a high profile move to Europe.
Juventus, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich were all linked with a move for the 21-year-old, but it seems City have won the race to land Alvarez.
City had sought to strengthen their frontline last summer and pushed hard to sign Harry Kane from Tottenham.
The departure of Ferran Torres for Barcelona leaves head coach Pep Guardiola short on attacking options with City closing in on Alvarez for just £16m.
However, the same report also states that, should City secure Alvarez's services this month, then he will be sent out on loan to another European side until the end of the season.
The young Argentina international ended the Liga Profesional campaign with a WhoScored rating of 7.83, that far and away the best in the division.
