Who is Claudio Echeverri and why Manchester City want him

The River Plate star is inching closer to a dream move to the Premier League.

With the January transfer window nearing, the rumour mills are churning thick and fast. The latest on the grapevine is that Premier League champions Manchester City are reportedly eyeing River Plate teenager Claudio Echeverri.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano had recently posted that City are close to signing the Argentinian wonderkid, who has been touted as the next Lionel Messi in football circles.

“Understand Manchester City are advancing to final stages of Claudio Echeverri deal, “ Romano said while hinting that the deal could be completed next month itself.

Who is Claudio Echeverri?

The question lingering on the minds of ‘Citizens’ as well as football fans all over the world, is who Echeverri is.

The 17-year-old attacking midfielder is currently plying his trade with River Plate in the Argentinian League. He has made six appearances for them since being promoted from the club's youth academy in June.

At the national level, the promising teenager has found the back of the net 12 times in 20 appearances that he made for the Argentina Under-17 team.

There are reports that Echeverri is being hotly pursued by Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona as well as City’s Premier League rivals Chelsea and with Echeverri himself not that keen on extending his stay in Argentina, a move to the Premier League looks to be on the cards.

Why Manchester City needs Claudio Echeverri?

Man City has been riding high on Erling Haaland’s heroics since the Norwegian arrived at Etihad from Borussia Dortmund. He scored a whopping 71 goals and had 14 assists in his 75 appearances across all competitions for Pep Guardiola's side. But, with Haaland out of action since December 6 due to a foot injury, there has been a dip in City’s form.

Seasoned campaigner Kevin De Bruyne is also out with injury, and with no timeline for the return of the deadly duo, Pep Guardiola is looking for some strong attacking options upfront.

The Sheikh Mansour-owned club is ready to extend a 25-million-euro release clause in Echeverri’s River Plate contract, and it is a win-win situation for both the parties. City had earlier made a similar gamble on another Argentinian -- Julian Alvarez – whom they signed from River Plate in the January 2022 transfer window, and it looks as though it is de ja vu time all over again!