Chelsea and Manchester City are both keeping a close watch on teenage sensation Claudio Echeverri after the Argentine excelled at the recent Under-17 World Cup.
Echeverri, an attacking midfielder, has been dubbed ‘the next Lionel Messi’ and is beginning to break into River Plate’s senior team at just 17 years old.
He scored a hat-trick against Brazil in the U-17 World Cup quarter-final, notching five goals overall at the tournament as Argentina were knocked-out by Germany on penalties. Echeverri missed his.
The young prospect is now reportedly in high demand from clubs across Europe, including Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, AC and Inter Milan. And according to the MIrror, Chelsea and City are both monitoring his progress.
River Plate inserted a £21.4m buy-out clause into his contract in January, with the youngster having developed in their youth system since 2017.
In recent weeks Barcelona have emerged as favourites to earn his signature, with those rumours have been fuelled by Echeverri’s own interests.
“As well as River, I would like to play for Barça,” he said recently. “I am a big Lionel Messi fan and I watched him play there, so they are a team I have followed since I was very young.”
Speculation increased when Barca manager Xavi said: “The boy is a talent. Beyond the hat-trick he scored against Brazil, he's a difference-maker. But it’s something for the scouting department.”
Dubbed El Diablito (the Little Devil), Echeverri has made four senior appearances so far and earned the praise of Argentina veteran Ángel Di María, who said: “You can see he's got some fire in him. He's got a lot to give.”
He was also commended by River Plate manager and ex-Manchester City defender Martín Demichelis.
He said: “When I arrived, I knew that Echeverri was the diamond in the rough. Nobody argues and nobody doubts Claudio’s talent and intelligence.”
