The City Football Group (CFG) – parent company to Manchester City – are keen on adding a Tottenham Hotspur talent to their roster, according to Brazilian reports.
Alejo Veliz joined Spurs in August 2022 after catching the eye of Premier League scouts at Rosario Central, yet having struggled in his first few months at the North London club he was sent out on loan to Sevilla and Espanyol.
Across a period of 18 months, the 22-year-old largely failed to impress regularly in Spain but returned to Rosario Central in July, where he has since scored five goals and provided one assist in 16 appearances.
A towering, physical striker, Veliz provides aerial threat, heading ability and strength that is much preferred nowadays compared to when smaller forwards such as Gianfranco Zola and Michael Owen dominated the Premier League.
Earlier this month, claims from Brazil declared Flamengo’s interest in Veliz but that has now switched to Bahia. The CFG club have made an offer to sign the Spurs-owned player which is ‘quite high’, according to journalist Cesar Luis Merlo.
Tottenham will have to cut Veliz’s stay short before sanctioning a move to Brazil, with the journalist claiming it could happen in the coming days, and adding that an agreement with Thomas Frank’s side is in place.
TyC Sports have also covered the story, translated and relayed by Sport Witness, and provided their take on the possibility of Rosario Central losing Alejo Veliz this month – with the latest development coming as a ‘complete surprise’.
In addition, they have stated Spurs have the option to recall Veliz this month and are likely to exercise that clause. As of last week, the player trained with the rest of the Rosario Central squad but the most likely outcome is a move to Bahia.
Joining CFG has enhanced the careers of many players currently in and around the Manchester City squad after Savinho joined from Troyes – another club part of the organisation – having made 71 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side since.
Furthermore, Vitor Reis is currently on loan from the Premier League side at Girona – City’s sister club – and is progressing well in the Spanish top-flight having struggled to secure minutes under Guardiola’s eye during the second-half of last season.
The 20-year-old centre-back arrived at the Etihad Stadium in a £29.6 million transfer from Brazilian side Palmeiras 12 months ago and will undoubtedly need to step up in the near future for Manchester City given his mountainous potential.
Although Alejo Veliz’s connection to Rosario Central is plausible, the City Football Group is perhaps his best chance to advance further as a striker and one day – albeit highly unlikely at this stage – play for Manchester City if his success transpires at Bahia.