Claudio Echeverri update: Manchester City midfielder unlikely to exit for La Liga | OneFootball

Manchester City are now unlikely to see their rising talent from Argentina, Claudio Echeverri join the club’s sister club in La Liga in the coming months.

The Premier League champions confirmed an agreement had been reached with River Plate over the future recruitment of the highly-rated 18-year-old, signing the player to a four-and-a-half year contract and remaining on loan to the Argentine giants until January 2025.

There does however remain a minor concern amongst some Manchester City fans that they may not ever see Echeverri in a Sky Blue shirt, despite his immense talent at such a young stage in his professional playing career.

The Etihad Stadium club, alongside the wider City Football Group, are expected to come to a decision over the future of Echeverri in the coming months, potentially deciding that the player requires a developmental loan deal upon arriving in the European game.

However, while there had been some reports that the player could be sent to Girona, who are ranking highly in the Spanish game at present, a new report has explained why that possibility may have drifted.

According to the information of journalist Uriel Iugt, it is now ‘almost a fact’ that highly-rated Argentina youth international playmaker Claudio Echeverri will not be loaned by Manchester City to their sister club Girona.

It is explained that due to Manchester City and Girona both competing in next season’s UEFA Champions League, for regulatory reasons they ‘cannot be involved in various aspects’, presumably including the exchange of players.

As such, with Manchester City believing that Echeverri would benefit more through a loan move away from the Etihad Stadium, the report points out that it should now ‘not be ruled out’ that the player continues with River Plate by a further six months.

Manchester City have enjoyed plenty of success through their recruitment from the South American game over recent seasons, turning to the continent for talents across a wide range of positions within their squad.

Gabriel Jesus was widely viewed as being the first example of a player recruited as an emerging talent, but firmly cementing himself as a first-team option for Pep Guardiola on a regular basis after signing in 2017.

Julian Alvarez is a further example of South American talent brought into Manchester City for a relatively low initial fee, but vastly outgrowing initial expectations and increasing their own price tag and valuation rapidly.

Alvarez has now registered over 100 appearances under Pep Guardiola since joining the club in the summer transfer window of 2022, scoring a commendable 36 goals in the process and claiming six major trophies to his name in that time.