Manchester City are “confident” that they will sign River Plate attacking midfielder Claudio Echeverri, according to 90min.com.

The 17-year-old, who has been likened to Lionel Messi, impressed whilst captaining Argentina as they made it to the semi-finals of the Under 17 World Cup last month.

Echeverri has already made his senior debut, coming on as a substitute and providing an assist in River Plate’s 3-1 win over Instituto SC back in late June.

The teenager has gone on to make 3 further appearances for the first team, prior to jetting off to Indonesia to play for his country.

City will have rivals for Echeverri’s signature

Chelsea are also said to be interested in the playmaker, and 90min.com claim that the Blues are “working hard” to beat the reigning Premier League champions to the player’s services.

However, City have a very strong relationship with River Plate, after negotiating with the Argentinian club to sign Julian Alvarez 18 months ago. That will give them an important edge over their rivals in future transfer talks.

Two other River Plate youngsters are also being targeted

Agustin Ruberto and Ian Subiabre, who played alongside Echeverri for Argentina at the Under 17 World Cup, have attracted interest from City and Chelsea as well.

Ruberto was the top scorer in the tournament, winning the race for the Golden Boot, having hit the back of the net 8 times. It is, therefore, not a surprise that Premier League teams are scouting the striker. As he turns 18 in January, he is eligible to join an English club, along with Echeverri.

Subiabre is in a slightly different situation. The winger is a year younger than his River Plate teammates, and City would have to wait until January 2025 to snap him up.

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