Chelsea 'keep pushing' for wonderkid despite Man City talks

Tom Weber

• 26 Dec 2023 09:37 GMT
• 3 min read

Chelsea are still trying to strike a deal for Claudio Echeverri, according to a report, but they may be fighting a losing battle.

The Argentine wonderkid is a sought-after commodity, having impressed at the U17 World Cup in Indonesia earlier in the year. Echeverri recently made his senior bow for River Plate and announced his transfer plans in the immediate aftermath of the match.

“I am not going to renew [my contract]. But I am going to stay six months or a year to enjoy myself. Later, we will see,” the youngster told ESPN. Indeed, that appears to be the most likely scenario. Man City, who have been the most active in pursuit of him, are planning to sign him in January and let him remain at River until the summer, similar to their Julian Alvarez deal in 2022.

Echeverri has a release clause of €25 million that can rise to €30m in the final days of the upcoming transfer window and City are the firm favourites to land him, according to Fabrizio Romano. However, Chelsea remain keen and still haven't given up hope of snatching him from City's grasp.

Chelsea 'keep pushing'

That's at least according to Sky Germany's Sarah Wieczorek, who asserts that the Blues are still trying to make a deal possible. The journalist took to X to reveal Chelsea's plans for the youngster should their chase end in success.

"Chelsea keep pushing for Claudio Echeverri," she wrote. "The club wants to sign him in January and bring him on loan to RC Strasbourg, so he can get used to European football."

She also claimed that, despite City reportedly being in advanced talks with River, the Argentine giants have "not received any official offer from both clubs yet. The club is not ready to let him go for less than €25m."