Argentina's Claudio Echeverri celebrates
Manchester City have landed a deal for an Argentine wonderkid who has already drawn comparisons to Lionel Messi, following some eye-catching performances in 2023.
Claudio Echeverri was dubbed as the ‘next Messi’ following an excellent individual campaign at the Under-17 World Cup last month for Argentina.
The 17-year-old attacking midfielder scored five goals in the tournament and garnered plenty of praise for his role in the Argentina youth side.
Echeverri made his senior debut for River Plate earlier this year and Man City have already seen enough to splash a substantial fee on the teenage sensation.
According to The Guardian, Man City have agreed a deal to sign Echeverri from River Plate in a deal worth €25million (£21.7m).
The report explains that Echeverri will remain with River Plate for another year on loan as part of the deal. Man City have struck this kind of deal with River Plate before with Julian Alvarez who continued his development in Argentina after signing for City.
It’s too early to tell if Echeverri will be able to cut the mustard in the Premier League, but the early signs are hugely promising. The 17-year-old scored a hat-trick against Brazil in the U17 World Cup and his potential is obvious to see.
From Sergio Aguero to Pablo Zabaleta, Man City have an excellent reputation when it comes to developing Argentine players and Echeverri looks to be the next in line.
Man City beat some big clubs to his signature
Fabrizio Romano has provided some further insight on Echeverri and how Man City have been able to beat the likes of Barcelona and Chelsea to his signature.
“Claudio Echeverri is close to joining Manchester City and today I want to explain to you what’s going on around this boy, because Barcelona really wanted him,” Romano told Caught Offside.
“Deco is a big fan of the player and also other people in the club know this talented boy very well. He’s playing for River Plate and was under contract until December 2024, a dangerous situation for River because his release clause is just €25m euros going up to €30m in the final 10 days of the window.
“It’s impossible for Barcelona to make the deal happen because of Financial Fair Play restrictions, even though he was really tempted by the opportunity to join Barcelona because he’s understood to be a big fan.
“Chelsea made some contacts to make sure they were in the race for Echeverri, but at the end of the day, Manchester City are the big favourites and are advancing to the final stages of this story.”
There’s no denying that City have missed Kevin De Bruyne this season and while Echeverri brings a different skillset to the table, he could be someone looking to fill the Belgian’s boots in the future.
Pep Guardiola will be well aware of De Bruyne’s advancing age and someone like Echeverri could give them a fresh dynamic in the attacking midfielder role.
