Claudio Echeverri is set to join Manchester City from next month after spending the past year on loan in Argentina.
City secured a deal for Echeverri last January worth a reported £12.5m plus add-ons from selling club River Plate. The attacking midfielder had only celebrated his 18th birthday just over three weeks earlier and could therefore have moved to Manchester straight away, but it was considered best for his development to stay where he was and continue in the club in 2024 to play in familiar surroundings.
This loan back to River Plate ended at the end of the Argentine club 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 U20 Championship in Venezuela. Fabrizio Romano reports that the “confirmed” plan is for him to be available to City once the tournament is over.
It starts on January 23rd, with Argentina being one of the favorites alongside continental football heavyweights Brazil and Uruguay. The end of the competition, which will be a two-stage round-robin tournament rather than a group stage and knockout round, will be on February 16. Due to the format, Argentina and all other nations remain in the tournament until the end.
The championship also serves as South American qualifiers for this year’s U20 World Cup in September and October, which Echeverri is also expected to take part in when Argentina gets there.
The teenager played 41 games for River Plate in 2024, starting most of them.
At City he will find an aging squad with 12 players now aged 29 or over – Rodri will be that 13 when he recovers from his long-term injury in the summer. Echeverri represents part of the new era as Pep Guardiola is tasked with the first dismantling and rebuilding project of his managerial career.
The Catalan coach has called on his club to be active next winter, naming a number of elite midfielders alongside Echeverri as potential reinforcements.