Man City beat Chelsea to signature of £12.5m 'next Lionel Messi'

Manchester City have completed the signing of 18-year-old midfielder Claudio Echeverri from River Plate.

After dazzling at the Under-17 World Cup, Echeverri was among several young stars attracting interest from Europe, with 90min reporting that Chelsea and City were prepared to battle for the midfielder's signature.

City ultimately moved ahead, partly due to their relationship with the Argentinian side following the signing of striker Julian Alvarez, and have now confirmed the teenager's move to the Etihad Stadium.

As part of the deal, which is understood to have cost City an initial £12.5m, Echeverri will remain with River until January 2025, at which point he will formally make the switch to Manchester.

Compared to fellow Argentine Lionel Messi, Echeverri dazzled for his country late last year, finishing as the Under-17 World Cup's third-highest scorer.

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Having entered the final year of his contract with River in January, Echeverri confirmed he did not intend to sign an extension as he wanted to pursue a career in Europe, putting the continent's elite on high alert.

Echeverri turned 18 this month and is therefore free to move to Europe but River refused to part ways with the youngster immediately, instead insisting he remains until his initial contract was due to expire, and City have agreed.

The youngster is on the cusp of a breakthrough into the senior side and can be expected to play a significant role over the next 12 months.

He follows in the footsteps of Alvarez, who agreed to join City in January 2022 and made the move the following summer. The 23-year-old has gone on to become a key player for both club and country and there are hopes that Echeverri will reach a similar level.

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