Manchester City owners identify ‘possible bet for future’ – Manager hopes player can be best in world

Manchester City could be an option for Boca Juniors’ Tomás Aranda in the near future. 

The Premier League side already looked at Boca Juniors to sign Julián Alvarez in 2022 and Máximo Perrone a year later.

Alvarez left Manchester City for Atlético Madrid permanently in August 2024 and has been the No.1 under Diego Simeone.

Perrone initially joined Como on loan the same month and the Serie A side made his stay permanent last summer. Last month, Sport Witness relayed news that Manchester City have a 30% sell-on clause.

The City Football Group [CFB] own Manchester City, Ligue 2 side Troyes and second division Belgian side Lommel SK and also have a stake at La Liga side Girona.

Manchester City option for Argentine

Boca Noticias now report the City Football Group have set their sights on Tomás Aranda.

The 18-year-old is a product of the Argentine club’s youth system and made his way into their first team earlier this year.

His league stats for Boca Juniors’ first team are as follows:

• Appearances: 10
• Starts: 5
• Total minutes: 542
• Minutes per game: 54

The attacking midfielder’s development has already seen him debut for Argentina U20 last month.

It has also caught the Manchester City owners’ attention, and they are following him closely as CFG view him as a ‘possible bet for the future’.

The report doesn’t specify the European club the City Football Group intend to sign. With four European clubs in their stable, Pep Guardiola’s side could certainly be an option.

Aranda has a $20m [€17.1m] release clause in his contract, and it should be affordable for Manchester City. For now, their owners are only following him.

Manager backs for bright future

Boca Juniors manager Claudio Úbeda hopes for Tomás Aranda to be best in the world and Olé have relayed his comments. 

“I’m going to repeat what I said at the last press conference. What we always try to do with kids making their debuts like this is to protect them, not to overhype them,” he said.

“I hope he can be the best player in the world.”

“He has to build his career little by little, and he’s doing it well, with personality. The environment with his teammates helps him a lot so he can continue growing, because he always has technically gifted players around him who support him.”

“He’s a player who has flair, dedication, and is good in one-on-one situations. We’re going to support him so he can continue to grow.”

Contract, value and agent info

Tomás Aranda has a contract until December 2029 and his value, as per Transfermarkt, is €850k.

Argentine agency Interplayers, headed by Pablo Sabbag and Matias Sabbag, represent the player. Their client list also includes Nottingham Forest’s Nicolás Domínguez and Valencia midfielder Guido Rodríguez.