Claudio Echeverri left Manchester City to join Bayer Leverkusen on loan in the summer but he was also wanted by City Football Group outfit Girona.
Claudio Echeverri
Claudio Echeverri is yet to make an impact at Bayer Leverkusen this season
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Girona sporting director Quique Carcel has described Manchester City ace Claudio Echeverri as a "beast of a player" despite missing out on a summer loan move for the Argentine.
Echeverri joined Bayer Leverkusen for the 2025/26 season despite interest from City Football Group outfit Girona. The lure of Champions League football with the Bundesliga side was a big attraction in the final decision.
Carcel believes Echeverri, 19, was willing to move to the La Liga side, only for his agent to prefer the switch to Leverkusen, who were German champions in 2024/25 but underwent a summer of change after the departure of head coach Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid.
Erik ten Hag replaced the Spaniard but was dismissed after just two games in charge, with former Denmark boss Kasper Hjulmand now in charge.
Echeverri has made five appearances during his loan spell but has yet to start a game and has managed just 82 minutes on the pitch. Carcel said he had been keen to sign the youngster and give him a big role in the team.
“We wanted Echeverri because he’s a beast of a player, who scored in the Club World Cup,” he told Catalan paper Sport.
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“He wanted to play, get playing time, and compete in European competitions, but I think he wanted to come here, and it was his agent who looked for a different project profile, and we have to respect that.”
Echeverri joined City from River Plate for £12.5million in January 2024 and he joined the club in February 2025, having spent a further year back on loan at River.
He made a surprise City debut from the bench in the FA Cup final and then scored against Al-Ain in the Club World Cup before an ankle injury ended his tournament early.
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