Manchester City may have won the treble, but they don’t want to stop their dominance in soccer anytime soon. The Citizens want to keep strengthening their team in the future to make sure they are on top and to do that, they want to bring in the best players.
And while they go for established players, they also try to bring in new talent regularly. And now Argentine wonderkid Claudio Echeverri has proven himself to be the next big thing, and European clubs are going crazy over him.
Manchester City sets sights on River Plate’s Claudio Echeverri
Claudio Echeverri has impressed at the recent U-17 World Cup, and many have compared him to the great Lionel Messi himself. Thanks to his insane performances, he has attracted great interest from many clubs, including Barcelona and some other Premier League giants.
Echeverri currently plays for River Plate in Argentina, but he has said he won’t renew his contract, which will expire in December 2024. This has put clubs on high alert who want to get their hands on the teenager as soon as possible. He has a release clause worth €25 million, and many clubs are ready to activate it.
🚨🔵 Understand Manchester City have already scheduled one more meeting with River Plate to complete Claudio Echeverri deal structure.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 25, 2023
2006 born Argentinian talent will stay at River on loan as part of the agreement.
Man City are confident to agree on the final details soon. 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/j2VtNAkWLA
According to The Independent, Manchester City are the club best placed to sign the player. They have convinced the player of their sporting project and the significance he would hold in their future team. Already both clubs have held a meeting and planning another one.
The Citizens already have a good relationship with River Plate after signing Julian Alvarez, who has won almost all major trophies for club and country already. They have beat back interest from Barcelona, a club Echeverri reportedly loves. If a deal is accepted, Echeverri is expected to stay at River Plate on loan till the end of the year. After that, he will be incorporated into the City team.
Chelsea persists in pursuit of Echeverri
But Manchester City have another domestic opposition in their pursuit of Claudio Echeverri. The defending Premier League champions will have to compete with Chelsea for the player’s signature.
#Chelsea ‘keep pushing’ for Claudio Echeverri. They want to sign him in January and send him to RC Strasbourg on loan. Meanwhile, Man City want to sign him and leave him at River Plate on loan.
— Absolute Chelsea (@AbsoluteChelsea) December 25, 2023
[via @sarahowever_]
Even though City are close to signing him, Chelsea has known to spend big to persuade clubs and players in recent years. The Blues want to sign Echeverri as a priority and consider him a future prospect. They are willing to spend big this January transfer window, when they also have other targets lined up.
However, the player may be loaned to associate club of the Blues in France, RC Strasbourg. This may be a deal breaker for River Plate, but it remains to be seen what happens. One thing is for sure, the January transfer window will be crucial for both Chelsea and Manchester City.
