Boca Juniors forward Cristian Pavon will play the rest of 2019 in Major League Soccer after LA Galaxy confirmed a deal had been reached for the Argentina international.
Pavon, 23, was previously considered one of the Argentine Superliga's top prospects after making a big impact at Boca early on, and formed part of the Albiceleste team in last year's World Cup.
But he has struggled for form recently, and found himself frozen out of the first team after Guillermo Barros Schelotto's exit at the end of 2018 following Copa Libertadores final defeat to arch-rivals River Plate.
Now he will have the chance to star once more under Barros Schelotto as the Galaxy coach brought his former protege to MLS, in a deal that will run until the end of the year and includes an option to buy at its conclusion.
"The LA Galaxy announced today that the club has acquired 23-year-old forward Cristian Pavón on loan from Argentina’s Club Atlético Boca Juniors," the club confirmed today on its official website.
"Pavon, who played in every match for Argentina during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, joins the club after playing in Argentina’s top-flight division since 2012.
"He was acquired through the use of Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) and will be added to the roster pending receipt of his P1-Visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC)."
Galaxy general manager Dennis te Kloese expressed his delight at capturing the winger, and expects big things from Pavon once he settles into life in the United States.
“Cristian is a young and dynamic attacking addition who has the talent to be one of the most effective offensive players in Major League Soccer,” Te Kloese explained.
“He is a high-caliber player who will be a valuable piece to our roster moving forward. By providing him with a stable environment and a coach he knows well, we are confident that he can continue to grow and improve as a player within our club.
"We are extremely excited to add him to our squad and look forward to his contributions with the LA Galaxy.”
Pavon started his career at hometown club Talleres de Cordoba, where he signed a professional deal at the age of 16 and made his first-team debut just one year later.
His performances at Talleres quickly caught the eye of Boca, who swooped to sign the teenager in July 2014 after just 20 official matches for the Matador.
He went on to score 32 goals in 128 appearances in all competitions for the Buenos Aires giants, lifting the Primera Division and Superliga title on three occasions.