Manchester City owners recruit Boca Juniors forward on free transfer ahead of 2025 switch

The parent company behind Premier League giants Manchester City have secured a deal for a rising talent emerging out of Boca Juniors, according to reports.

It is the latest in a long line of deals that ultimately have a vision leaning towards the Premier League champions, and developing talents with the top end goal of reaching the Manchester City first-team squad.

Arguably the finest recent example of such a pathway has been seen through Manchester City winger and Brazil international Savinho, who is understood to have always been seen by the City Football Group as a player who could reach the Etihad Stadium.

Such has been the highly-rated nature of the player’s talent that it has been previously reported that all of Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Brighton, Everton and Bayer Leverkusen were all chasing the player at one point or another.

Now, Manchester City and the City Football Group’s attentions have found themselves back in the South American market, with a new and exciting Argentine talent coming to their attentions and seemingly buying into their development structure.

That is according to the information of journalist César Luis Merlo, who reveals that Boca Juniors forward Luka Andrade has reached an agreement with the City Football Group over playing for one of their clubs from 2025.

It is explained that the 17-year-old leaves the Argentine giants on a free transfer, after his family failed to agree on a contract with Boca, and as such has led to the player to seek opportunities elsewhere in the game.

Manchester City have had one eye on Boca Juniors’ array of rising talents for a number of seasons, having shown serious interest in signing Valentin Barco at one stage but ultimately losing out to Brighton & Hove Albion.

It was claimed at one stage that the City Football Group were ‘very interested’ in Exequiel Zeballos of Boca, too with a view towards signing the player and leaving him to develop in Argentina until they deemed it necessary to transfer him to Europe.

At present, it remains unknown as to whether Manchester City and the wider CFG decision makers will believe in transferring such a young talent in Andrade to Europe, or whether staying in South America will be more suitable.