It is that time of the year when big soccer clubs buckle up for the transfer window. As has always been the case, prodigies, mostly teenagers, are the most sought-after targets. Real Madrid and Barcelona have already agreed to sign Brazilian sensations Endrick and Vitor Roque, respectively. Apart from Vitor Roque, Barca also had eyes on the 17-year-old Argentine Claudio Echeverri. But financial constraints stand in their way of pursuing the ‘next Lionel Messi.’ At this juncture, enter Pep Guardiola‘s Manchester City, with an enterprising offer.

Thanks to Claudio Echeverri’s exploits at Argentina’s River Plate and U-17 national team, he is now hailed as Messi’s successor. Just like Guardiola took a young Messi under his wing in Barcelona, he is now close to mentoring his successor.

Manchester City leads the race to land Claudio Echeverri with an enterprising offer

Claudio Echeverri’s termination clause with River Plate is valued at $27 million. Now, Manchester City is preparing a $27 million offer to the Argentine club for signing Echeverri. Per the deal in the making, Man City will reportedly loan the player to River Plate itself for six months or a year. Echeverri’s current contract with River Plate will expire in December 2024. Rumors had it that Chelsea is also trying to land the 17-year-old. However, Mauricio Pochettino and co. have not yet prepared an offer like City.

🚨El Manchester City prepara una oferta para comprar al Diablito Echeverri en un monto cercano a la cláusula de rescisión, valuada en €25M.
*️⃣La intención es dejarlo 6/12 meses en River.
ℹ️Junto a @hugorbalassone

— César Luis Merlo (@CLMerlo) December 23, 2023

As financial constraints remain a headache for Barcelona, and Chelsea has not acted yet, it is quite likely that the River Plate star will move to Etihad. The ‘next Messi’ plays as an attacking midfielder. Interestingly, Man City will need young blood to occupy that position. Veterans Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva currently dominate City’s offense in the midfield. De Bruyne is entangled in exit rumors. Apparently, having a youngster like Echeverri is the right move to make for the Cityzens. So, what makes ‘Diablito Echeverri’ such a hot-shot target? Let’s find out.

Why is Echeverri called the ‘next Leo Messi’?

Claudio Echeverri stunned the soccer world with his remarkable Argentina U-17 team stint. The youngster has tallied 13 goals and five assists from 22 appearances with the Argentina U-17 team. His five goals from seven matches at the FIFA U-17 World Cup stand out. In River Plate, however, the 17-year-old does not boast as many appearances. Neither has he scored a goal.

Nonetheless, the prodigy proved effective for River Plate in their title-winning campaigns. During his short stint with River Plate, Echeverri has won the Argentinian League and the Campeon Trofeo de Campeones. Such an impressive CV at the age of 17 unsurprisingly makes Echeverri a hot-shot target for European giants. As things stand now, Man City is most likely to house the Argentine starlet. The last time the city brought in a River Plate prodigy was when they signed Julian Alvarez. The rest is history.

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