The agent of River Plate midfielder Claudio Echeverri has confirmed that the player is close to moving to Manchester City.
It is believed that the Premier League champions will pay in the region of $27m (£21m) for the 17-year-old and, when asked about the deal’s progress, Echeverri’s representative Enzo Montepaone replied:
“I can confirm that everything is done for Claudio’s transfer from River Plate to Manchester City. We are very happy.”
Fans on X are very excited by the prospect of Echeverri joining the Cityzens, with some playing up the comparisons to Argentinian legend Lionel Messi:
He's here the Messi regen come on pic.twitter.com/Ltyf5vBkzG
— PepBall (@lottibbe) December 28, 2023
We got another young talent ..
— R.O.N (@Tonny54_) December 28, 2023
Chelsea would have probably paid in the region of 50 – 60 M for the same player
— Agwai (@shariif_muhamd) December 28, 2023
Welcome 🤗 to the Best Club in the land and All the world 🌎
— Kovac-Josko (@1880Manchester) December 28, 2023
Brilliant business from #mancity . This lad is oozing with talent. This is how the big clubs do things. Identifying prospects early on and investing in that talent. City are now the level all other teams look to become. It's great to see the hard work finally coming to fruition.
— Matty (@MattyBoi_78) December 28, 2023
Star in making let's Go
— Alex sam. (@Alexsam26371855) December 28, 2023
Happy days!!!
— LEON MANDIRUNGA (@LMandirunga) December 28, 2023
City fought off competition for Echeverri’s signature
Journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that both Chelsea and Barcelona were also keen on signing the teenager but City always had an edge in negotiations.
They have a good relationship with River Plate, having negotiated a deal for Julian Alvarez a couple of years ago, so getting a similar transfer in place for Echeverri appears to have been pretty straightforward.
When will fans get to see Echeverri in a City shirt?
As mentioned, the agreement with River Plate is almost identical to the Alvarez deal in the sense that Echeverri will remain on loan with his current team until the summer.
It means supporters will have to wait until pre-season to see the midfielder in action for City.
