Manchester City just won the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup with an amazing performance to beat Fluminense 4-0 in the final. It was the crowning moment for Pep Guardiola in a magical run of five titles which also included the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Super Cup. Now, they want more.
Their roster is already impressive with names such as Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, Phil Foden or Jack Grealish. However, to dominate in the long term, a possible renewal always has to be ready.
That’s why, in the last few weeks, Claudio Echeverri has become the main target for Manchester City. The young star dazzled in the recent FIFA U-17 World Cup with Argentina at Indonesia, especially when he scored a hat trick in the quarterfinals against Brazil.
Echeverri is under contract with River Plate until December of 2024, but, in a shocking turn of events, he already said that the agreement won’t be extended. “I’m not going to renew. I’ll continue for another six months or a year, and then we’ll see what happens.”
What will be the next team of Claudio Echeverri?
In this scenario, Claudio Echeverri is free to negotiate with any club starting next summer, and if River Plate fail to sell him, he would leave for free at the end of 2024. Therefore, big European clubs are already considering making significant offers.
According to a report from Fabrizio Romano, Manchester City have the upper hand in signing the young Argentine star and wants to expedite the process to finalize a deal as soon as possible. However, Chelsea are another Premier League team that could offer a significant amount of money.
FC Barcelona are another team that is interested in Claudio Echeverri, but the current economic situation of the club makes it practically impossible for the player to end up in Spain.
How much will Manchester City pay for Claudio Echeverri?
Manchester City would have to pay at least $25 million to activate the release clause that Claudio Echeverri has with River Plate. An alternative would be to pay that amount, secure the player, and leave him on loan in Argentina until his debut in the Premier League.
Another option for River Plate is to lower Echeverri’s price but increase the percentage they would be entitled to in a future sale of the player. We cannot forget that, given Claudio’s statements, River are against the clock, as the young star could leave for free in a year.
