Manchester City is interested in the Argentine teenager called the “next Lionel Messi.”
The Premier League champions have been watching River Plate sensation Claudio Echeverri thrive in the Under-17s World Cup, and they are hopeful that the good relationship they established with the Buenos Aires club when they signed Julian Alvarez will give them an advantage.
Echeverri, a 17-year-old offensive midfielder with a killer eye for goal, has piqued the curiosity of Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG, Juventus, and both Milan clubs.
He has only made four substitute appearances for River Plate, but he has already been called Argentina’s “next big thing” after scoring a hat-trick against arch-rivals Brazil in Indonesia.
Echeverri scored five goals during the tournament but missed a penalty in Germany’s semi-final shootout loss. River Plate had a £21.44 million buy-out provision in Echeverri’s contract, which increases to £25.73 million within 10 days of any transfer window closing.
The Argentine team is now frantically attempting to rework the contract in order to treble the value of the clause. City signed Alvarez from River Plate over two years ago, but allowed him to stay for six months to compete in the Copa Libertadores.
Alvarez has scored 25 goals in 69 appearances across all competitions since joining the club, most notably helping them win the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League last season. The 23-year-old has started every Premier League game this season, and Guardiola dubbed him “almost undroppable” earlier this year, applauding the way he has stepped up in the aftermath of Ilkay Gundogan’s departure and Kevin De Bruyne’s recent hamstring injury.
“He’s learning a lot about how to move in the pockets, he’s a threat with goals and assists, and he has a great work ethic,” Guardiola said of Alvarezback in September. “We are thrilled that the club signed him last year.
“Gundo left, and unfortunately, with Kevin’s injury, he has his chance, which he is taking.” He’s almost undroppable now.
“He’s still so young. What a coup the club has made. He has it all: battling, goals, and assists. Amazing, gorgeous man. He’s a huge threat when he’s playing behind Erling. I’m overjoyed for him; he deserves it.”