Manchester City ‘keep pushing’ for signature of River Plate and Argentina star amid Barcelona and Chelsea competition | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are ‘pushing’ to win the race for the signing of River Plate and Argentina teenager Claudio Echeverri.

Manchester City, who beat South American champions Fluminense to win the FIFA Club World Cup in Jeddah on Friday evening, are scouting the region for potential January additions to Pep Guardiola’s squad.

The Sky Blues are amongst a number of European clubs tracking young Argentine pairing Valentin Barco and Claudio Echeverri, ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.

Echeverri, who recently declared that he would not be signing a new contract with River Plate, turns 18-years-old in January and would therefore be eligible for an overseas transfer.

The teenager has been compared to Argentina and Barcelona legend Lionel Messi, with the attacking midfielder having made six first-team appearances for River Plate and represented Argentina Under-17s.

Manchester City ‘keep pushing’ to try and sign the 17-year-old according to Fabrizio Romano, with contacts continuing between both the club and player’s side.

Echeverri is also subject to interest from Chelsea and Barcelona, however Financial Fair Play makes any deal ‘difficult’ for the Catalan club to complete.

Premier League rivals Chelsea are expected to make additions during the January market, and are ‘keen and interested’ in signing Echeverri, amid Manchester City’s pursuit of the midfielder.

Pep Guardiola has worked closely with the likes of Julian Alvarez and Gabriel Jesus over recent seasons, both of whom were signed directly from South America, while the likes of Yan Couto are excelling in loan deals within the City Football Group.

Alvarez scored twice during Manchester City’s Club World Cup Final victory, with the 23-year-old having scored in six different competitions since moving to the Etihad Stadium from River Plate.

It was previously claimed that City’s offer to River Plate for Echeverri could be similar to the deal which secured Alvarez’s signature, with the Blues reportedly open to deals which would see the 17-year-old remain in Argentina until a later date.