Manchester City have secured the signature of teenage Colombian forward Marlos Moreno for £4.75m from Atletico Nacional. One of the stars of the Copa Liberatadores last year, Moreno chose Pep Guardiola and City over city rivals Manchester United.
Earlier in July, the striker had confirmed an impending move to the Premier League after he helped his team lift the greatest prize in South American club football. The player was always destined for Europe as several clubs from Italy, Spain and England lined up for his signature.
The Details
It was reported last month that Moreno’s agent had stated that his client prefers Manchester City to United. Perhaps the Pep Guardiola factor helped in his decision. Understandably, a lot of youngsters want to play under the prolific coach who revolutionised football in the last decade and a half.
Manchester United who has a promising project ahead of them with coach Jose Mourinho in charge and their new recruits was also a realistic destination for the youngster. However, there is little room in both teams for a 19-year-old forward. City are reportedly sending him on loan to Spain’s Deportivo La Coruna according to reports.
Moreno’s words
“City are one of the best clubs in the world,” Moreno told City’s official website after completing his move to the Etihad. “It will be nice to experience being part of such a big club. I want to make the most of it.”
The player also, in all earnestness expressed his desire to play under the former Barcelona manager “Pep Guardiola is one of the best managers in the world. I think he likes young players very much and he can improve young players tactically and technically. It will be great to work with him and to be part of a great team.”
Despite being only 19, he has already won 7 caps for his national team which is dominated by strikers like Carlos Bacca, Luis Muriel and Jackson Martinez. He recently scored his first International goal for Colombia against Costa Rica while the rest of the world was busy drooling over his Brazilian U-19 counterpart Gabriel Jesus who is also close to signing for Manchester City. Needless to say that both these players will have a long way to go in their careers before they could convince the City manager to pair them up front to form an invincible South American attack.
