Chelsea set to lose out on transfer target to Premier League rivals as deal moves closer to completion: Reports

Argentine youngster Claudio Echeverri is reportedly set to join Manchester City despite interest from Chelsea and Barcelona. The Cityzens are chalking out the final details in the deal with River Plate and will pay over €20 million for him.

As per Fabrizio Romano, Manchester City have advanced in the deal to get Echeverri from River Plate. They are set to sign him in the winter window and allow him to stay at the Argentine club on loan.

However, it is unclear if he will remain for the first six months of the season or play the entire 2024 season with his current side. The Italian journalist posted on X, formerly known as Twitter:

"Understand Manchester City are advancing to final stages of Claudio Echeverri deal, contacts taking place even today. Plan to structure deal together with River Plate same as for Julián Álvarez — Echeverri will stay on loan. Package in excess of €20m."

Chelsea were also interested in signing the Argentine this winter, but are set to miss out. Barcelona also showed interest but their financial status saw them pull out of the move.

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Manchester City target Claudio Echeverri confirms he won't renew contract at River Plate amid Chelsea interest

Claudio Echeverri is set to enter the final 12 months of his contract and has told the media that he will not be renewing the deal at River Plate. He revealed last week that his plan was to take the next step in his career and said via Forbes:

"I'm not going to renew. I'm going to stay for a year or six months and then see what happens."

Echeverri was compared with compatriot Lionel Messi by the Argentine media but he was swift to play down those talks and said via GOAL:

“I always said that my idol was Messi, but I’m nowhere near Messi! I also really liked Pablo Aimar, who’s part of the national-team staff, and he’s spoken to me many times. He’s a great person, and he gives me useful pointers about what I need to correct in my game. I’d probably say ‘Pablito’, then – he was a talented player and loved to take on defenders like me.

"I always said that my dream was to make my debut for River’s first team, and I’ve done that now. Now, it’s probably playing for the senior national team. That’s my dream.”

Barcelona manager Xavi admitted that he was aware of Chelsea target Claudio Echeverri but was unsure if they would be making a move. He said via SPORT:

"I know him. He's talented. He's a differential player. His arrival? That depends on the scouting area."

The 17-year-old caught the eye of Chelsea and Manchester City scouts during the U17 FIFA World Cup earlier this year.