He is only 17 years old, but Claudio Echeverri is already well known. In South America at least, where he is considered one of the best young people on the continent, having just won the Champions Trophy against Rosario Central (2-0). In recent weeks, he has been announced by many big teams in Europe, including Manchester City, FC Barcelona and Chelsea. In this case, the Mancuniens still acted as favorites and had been presented in this way for a while already.
If we use the past tense, it’s because the reigning European champion is no longer the favorite… But the confirmed buyer. All Argentinian media, including Clarin for example, announced this Tuesday evening: Claudio Echeverri will be a Manchester City player. Clarin explains that the final details of the agreement are being ironed out between the two clubs.
Guardiola will have to wait
The Cityzens will pay a little more than 20 million euros for the 17-year-old striker, and River Plate will benefit from a percentage on the resale. The good relations between River Plate and the City Football Group greatly facilitated the operation, as the two parties had worked together on the Julian Alvarez deal not so long ago. Besides, Echeverri will not arrive in England this winter.
He will still play at River in 2024, as a manager of the Argentine giant told Clarin, and will join Manchester in a year, in January 2025. He will therefore play one more entire season in Argentina, with the objective of winning the Copa Libertadores, before taking the plunge and crossing the Atlantic. But it’s already a hell of a gift that Pep Guardiola is sure to receive in a year. If he’s still there, of course…