Manchetser City have signed Argentina wonderkid Dario Sarmiento in a £5.2million deal from Estudiantes.

The 18-year-old winger has drawn comparisons to his compatriot Lionel Messi for his speed and ability on the ball and has been described as a 'mini' version of the Barcelona star.

City have been tracking the youngster for some time and began talks to sign him in December, as reported by Sportsmail.

He will officially join the Premier League side in the summer after Estudiantes confirmed the £5.2m deal, which will include add-ons.

In a statement, the Argentine club said: 'We can reveal that, upon completion of the transfer agreement signed with Manchester City, Dario Sarmiento will join the English team from July 1 onwards.'

Sarmiento is left-footed, 5ft 6 in and an Argentine youth international - meaning comparisons with Messi have been inevitable.

The winger, who made his Estudiantes debut at the age of 16, is confident on the ball and has shown an impressive dribbling ability in his handful of senior matches.

Former Manchester United and Chelsea midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron believes Sarmiento has an incredibly bright future.

'He has incredible improvement margins. To me, he has quality,' the ex-Argentina international told Stats Perform News.

'Now a lot of clubs look for this kind of player, who runs on the flank. It is so easy for him to dribble his marker – not something so easy to see these days.

'He is fast, agile, nice left foot and great at dribbling, but he is still a project of a player.'