Transfer market specialist Fabrizio Romano (h/t Barcacentre) has affirmed that Barcelona have opened talks with Claudio Echeverri, a 17-year-old attacking midfielder from River Plate, but striking a deal is not going to be easy with the Argentinian team.
Echeverri’s buyout clause at River stands at approximately €25 million. However, given Barcelona’s precarious financial situation, they plan to engage in negotiations to settle the fee through multiple instalments.
Meanwhile, it is to be noted that Echeverri delivered standout performances at the recent U17 World Cup in Indonesia, where he emerged as one of the stars of the competition.
However, Barcelona, having monitored him for some time, opted not to deploy scouts to the tournament due to financial constraints.
Xavi likes Echeverri and the player dreams of Barcelona
Before heading to the U17 World Cup, the 17-year-old expressed his love for Barcelona, saying that he would love to play for the Blaugrana once in his career. This is because he happens to idolise Lionel Messi.
“As well as River, I would like to play for Barça. I am a big [Lionel] Messi fan and I watched him play there, so they are a team I have followed since I was very young,” he said.
And on Friday, Xavi expressed his admiration for the player, saying, “The boy is a talent. Beyond the hat-trick he scored against Brazil [at the U17 World Cup], he’s a difference-maker, but it’s something for the scouting department [to deal with].”
But there’s a competition
Like for every South American talent, Barcelona are most likely to face strong competition from European heavyweights such as Chelsea and Manchester City.
As of today, Echeverri’s current contract with River Plate expires in December 2024 and although the team would very much like to hand him an extension, they would not stand in his way if he expresses his desire to leave.
Even in that case, River Plate are most likely to entertain a bidding war, which might not work in the favour of Barcelona.
