Claudio Echeverri is set to be linked with Manchester City from next month, having spent last year on loan at home in Argentina.
City secured a job for Echeverriworth a reported £12.5m plus add-ons for the club’s sale to River Plate last January. The attacking midfielder celebrated his 18th birthday just over three weeks early and could have made an immediate move to Manchester, but it was deemed best for his development to stay where he was and continue to play in familiar surroundings in 2024.
That loan at River Plate ended at the end of the Argentine club’s season in November, and Echeverri was able to take some time off and then report for international duty.
The 19-year-old is set to be part of Argentina’s squad for the upcoming South American Under-20 Championship in Venezuela. Fabrizio Romano reports that the plan to be available to City after the tournament is “confirmed”.
Things will start on January 23, with Argentina among the favorites alongside fellow continental football heavyweights Brazil and Uruguay. The conclusion of the competition, which consists of a two-tiered two-tiered competition rather than a group stage and knockout series, will be on February 16. Because of the format, Argentina and every other nation will stay in the tournament until the very end.
The championship also doubles as South American qualifiers for this year’s Under-20 World Cup in September and October, which Echeverri also expects to play in if Argentina make it there.
The teenager made 41 appearances for River Plate during 2024, starting the majority.
On Citywill find an aging squad with 12 players now aged 29 or over – Rodri will make that 13 by the time he recovers from a long-term injury in the summer. Echeverri represents part of the new era as Pep Guardiola receives the assignment for the first dismantling and rebuilding project in his managerial career.
The Catalan coach has called for his club be active in the upcoming winter window, with number of elite midfielders named as a potential reinforcement alongside Echeverri.
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