Manchester City are close to signing River Plate prospect Claudio Echeverri in a deal worth around £17.5million (€20m/$22m).
The 17-year-old attacking midfielder is likely to be sent out on loan should he complete his move to City, and a return to River is on the cards.
That is the same arrangement that City and River agreed upon when Julian Alvarez signed for the Premier League club in January 2022.
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Echeverri captained Argentina at the Under-17 World Cup in November, scoring five goals – including a hat-trick against Brazil in the quarter-finals.
City have also been linked with a January move for Boca Juniors left-back Valentin Barco, but sources at the club have played down the chances of signing him.
Kalvin Phillips, meanwhile, is available for loan next month and the England midfielder favours a move to Juventus.
Newcastle United are also interested in Phillips but Juventus have intensified their efforts to bring the 28-year-old to Turin after he failed to nail down a place in Pep Guardiola’s plans.
It is also possible that left-back Sergio Gomez, who has played a similar role to Phillips in the squad, could leave City this winter but only if a suitable replacement can be found.
Given Gomez’s relatively few minutes, that would mean either a young defender is brought through via the academy or from elsewhere. Barco, 19, would fit that bill but right now he is not considered a likely arrival.
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