**Manchester City’s incoming attacking midfield talent, Claudio Echeverri has now completed his final home match for River Plate before making the switch to Europe.**
The Premier League champions confirmed the signing of the teenager prospect during the last January transfer window, with the Argentina youth international having signed a contract with Manchester City until the summer of 2028.
Such is the excitement around the player at the Etihad Stadium that recruitment bosses at the club deemed his talents worthy of a deal in the region of £12.5 million plus add-ons, whilst allowing Echeverri to remain on loan at River Plate until January 2025.
There had been a feeling in various quarters that Manchester City would eye an immediate loan move elsewhere in Europe for Claudio Echeverri, but a change of heart will now see the 18-year-old remain with Pep Guardiola’s first-team squad for the remainder of the season.
And that will start at the very beginning of the new year, according to a new report, after Echeverri completed his final home game for River Plate on Sunday evening marking the outing with an assist as part of a 4-0 win over Rosario Central.
As [highlighted by journalist Veronica Brunati](https://x.com/verobrunati/status/1865884554243776535), Claudio Echeverri has now completed his final River Plate match at Estadio Monumental, with a transfer date over to the Premier League champions also confirmed.
It is [claimed](https://x.com/verobrunati/status/1865884554243776535) that from January 1st 2025, the Argentina youth international playmaker will begin training under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, in order to ‘prepare physically’ to ‘quickly adapt’ to Premier League football.
It remains to be seen just how much action Claudio Echeverri will get under Pep Guardiola during the second-half of the season, however the opportunity to directly impress the Catalan in training will be an invaluable chance for the teenager.
The 18-year-old will likely compete with Manchester City’s most senior talents for a role in attacking midfield for the club, alongside their cohort of highly-rated Academy talents including Nico O’Reilly and James McAtee.
The summer market will then see another assessment made by the Premier League giants as to where to position Echeverri for the 2025/26 campaign, and there remains a chance that he could stay put at the Etihad Stadium.