It has been reported that Maximo Perrone could leave Manchester City on loan for the 2023/24 season, but only after completing pre-season in Manchester.
That’s according to journalist Bruno Gonzalez Garcia, who has claimed that the Argentine midfielder has ‘many chances’ to join City Football Group side Girona this summer.
City signed Perrone for just under £8m in January, but it is unclear what the long-term plan for the midfielder is.
Guardiola praised Perrone’s qualities shortly after he arrived at the Etihad Stadium, but a loan spell has always looked likely.
Perrone could join Girona on loan
The Argentina U20s star arrived from Velez Sarsfield towards the end of the January transfer window, but featured in just 20 minutes of senior football for his new club.
La Liga side Girona achieved a 10th-place finish in 2022/23, so could provide a stable environment for the youngster to develop.
Girona are certainly no strangers to taking CFG players on loan – last season the club was a temporary home for City midfielder Yangel Herrera and New York City striker Taty Castellanos.
Completing pre-season at City is wise
After Perrone put in an encouraging cameo performance in City’s 4-1 win against Bournemouth in February, Guardiola spoke highly of the young midfielder.
“He’s a guy who’s quicker here [in his head] than the legs. He moves really well in the pockets, he has a lot of vision there,” the City boss said.
“We thought ‘wow he moves well’, his individual quality is really there.
“I think he’ll grow being with us from the rhythm, from the physicality. Sometimes we’re looking for players to play in the position in the smaller spaces. It’s good, really really good.”
Those words perhaps foreshadowed City’s desire to send Perrone out on loan, but also explain why they are reportedly keen for him to complete pre-season with them.
As the likes of Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Rico Lewis have shown, young City players can learn an awful lot from training with the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Ruben Dias every day.
If City’s plan is for Perrone to become a first-team regular in years to come, then completing a first pre-season with his new teammates would only be beneficial.
However, in order to get used to the demands of senior football, a loan spell could be wise.
