World Cup winner Julian Alvarez has signed a one-year contract extension with Manchester City, extending his stay until 2028.
The 22-year-old joined the Premier League champions from River Plate in January 2022 for £14 Million, before being loaned back to the South American giants for the rest of the campaign.
The Argentine initially penned a five-and-a-half-year deal, but has been rewarded with a new and improved contract, reportedly doubling his wages.
The extended deal comes amid a fine debut season with the Citizens, netting 10 goals despite featuring sporadically, due to playing second fiddle to Erling Haaland.
Alvarez saw his stock skyrocket after firing Argentina to World Cup glory, recording four strikes, a brace in the semi-final triumph over Croatia being the highlight - prompting Lionel Messi to hail him as 'extraordinary'. He was the driving force in ending La Albiceleste's 36-year wait for immortality.
Speaking to the club website, Alvarez expressed his gratitude to the club, vowing to improve every day:
"This is a very proud moment for me and my family", he said. For a club like Man City to put their faith in me is amazing. I have been really pleased with my first season here, but I have plenty more I can do. I know I can do better.
"Man City offer me everything I need to fulfil my potential. I want to thank the manager, the coaches, and everyone at the club who works behind the scenes for everything they have done for me since I joined in the summer. I could not have asked for more.
"This is a club who looks after its players, and I have felt so supported throughout my time here. I am now focused on getting better and helping to win trophies."
The striker revealed that Man City's status amongst Europe's elite helped to make the transition to the Premier League smooth due to the experience of fighting for titles with River Plate.
"There are a lot of different things [about the two leagues], but there are some similarities too, which makes things a bit easier. The rhythm of the game, the transitions and some tactics are different, but in the end it's football.
"It is what I've been doing all my life, since I was a kid, as long as I remember, if there's a ball around, I will be happy and enjoy.
"When it comes to the adaptation, it was easy because I moved from one of the greatest clubs in [South] America to one of the greatest clubs in Europe, which have a lot in common. That made things easier."
Pep Guardiola's side are still competing in three competitions, with both the FA Cup and Champions League Quarter-finals on the horizon, while still hunting down Arsenal for the Premier League. The forward pledged to do everything in his power to propel City to success.
"My goals for the remainder of the season are being there, helping the team when I have my chance, giving everything that I have to keep growing as a person and as a player," he said.
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'He is the ideal blueprint for a young player'
City's director of football Txiki Begiristain praised his unshakable mentality, and insisted that the Argentine can be moulded into one of the worlds best under the guidance of Guardiola.
"He is the ideal blueprint for a young player and an inspiration to anyone looking to make their way into the game", Begiristain remarked.
"He has shown already here in England that he has outstanding movement and natural goalscoring instincts.
"We saw at the World Cup what a special talent he is. To win that trophy at his age is amazing and we are all very proud of what he has achieved.
"His progress so far has been really good, but we are now fully focused on developing his game even further and turning him into one of the best strikers in world football."
