Manchester City set to welcome £12.5 million playmaker to Etihad Stadium in January – Immediate exit considered

Pep Guardiola looks likely to welcome Manchester City talent Claudio Echeverri to the club in the upcoming January, according to new reports from Argentina.

The Premier League champions fended off strong competition for the services of one of Argentina’s finest up and coming talents during the last January transfer window, with Echeverri signing a contract at the Etihad Stadium until the summer of 2028.

Highlighting the talent that Manchester City see in the teenager, Etihad Stadium recruitment bosses sanctioned a deal worth an initial £12.5 million plus further sums coming through future add-ons.

However, with Manchester City conscious of handling the player’s development with care, the club took the decision to leave Echeverri on loan at River Plate until the end of the ongoing calendar year, before making a decision on his future then.

But it seems as though given the transfer ban on deals directly between Girona and Manchester City, due to their involvement in the UEFA Champions League this season, the youngster may be set for an early arrival at the City Football Academy.

According to the information of TNT Sports, as translated and relayed by Sport Witness, Manchester City ‘don’t want to know anything about it’ when it comes to the idea of keeping Claudio Echeverri on loan at River Plate beyond 2024.

As such, the report states that Echeverri ‘will have to go to England’ in January, with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola left with the decision of whether to immediately include the 18-year-old in his first-team plans for the remainder of the season.

It is stressed that Claudio Echeverri’s situation at Manchester City may change, and the Premier League champions could yet allow the Argentina youth international go out on loan in the January transfer market.

Manchester City have not been shy to integrate players directly into their first-team set-up, even if they haven’t experienced senior men’s football in the European game, believing in the benefits of being involved in their top-level working environment.

Pep Guardiola’s side have recruited on numerous occasions from South America in particular, seeing great success in bringing the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Julian Alvarez directly into the first-team picture.

However, the club also recognise that for younger talents in midfield, there are huge benefits to spending time away from the club to test themselves against physical professionals elsewhere in the game, most recently seen by James McAtee’s time with Sheffield United.

The England under-21 international is now back with Pep Guardiola’s squad for the ongoing season having spent two years at Bramall Lane, believing in the Catalan tactician’s trust over being patient with game time.