€25m Chelsea and Man City target announces transfer

Tom Weber

• Updated: 23 Dec 2023 16:18 GMT
• 3 min read

Argentine wonderkid Claudio Echeverri has announced that he will leave River Plate.

The 17-year-old attacker, who will turn 18 in January enabling him to move to Europe, only made his full River Plate debut on Friday night but has already set his sights on bigger and better things. The sought-after youngsters starred at the U17 World Cup in Indonesia, netting a hat-trick against rivals Brazil, and aroused the attention of some of Europe's biggest clubs.

In light of his standout performances at the tournament, Chelsea and Man City began being heavily linked with the Argentine, who - like many a talent before him - started being dubbed the 'next Lionel Messi.' Barcelona have also been credited with a concrete interest in the winger, but their financial issues are making a deal all but impossible.

Echeverri reportedly has a €25 million release clause that will increase to €30m in the final days of the upcoming transfer window. The cash-strapped Catalans can't afford that fee, but their Premier League counterparts certainly can.

Echeverri reveals transfer plans

The youngster is undoubtedly keen on a move. After making his full debut for River in their Trofeo de Campeones final win over Rosario Central, Echeverri announced his intentions to depart in 2024.

River Plate certainly won't stand in his way because his contract expires at the end of 2024, meaning that they will have to sell. Echeverri emphatically dismissed any notion that he would extend his deal, though he did leave the door open to staying with his club until the summer.

Indeed, this is the most realistic scenario for 2024, that he will be snapped up in January but remain with River until the next transfer period, similar to Man City's Julian Alvarez deal. At this stage, it is unclear whether Chelsea or City are more likely to land his signature.