Benfica Manager Discusses Permanent Transfer for Manchester City's Claudio Echeverri
Benfica manager Marco Silva has discussed the prospect of signing Manchester City's Claudio Echeverri on a permanent basis after the conclusion of his loan in Portugal.
Hugo Viana and co brokered a loan move to Benfica for Claudio Echeverri for the 2026-27 season.
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Echeverri, 20, joined City from River Plate for £12.5 million in 2024 and is spending the 2026-27 season on loan at Benfica, where he has been used mainly as a substitute under Marco Silva.
The Argentine's 2025-26 campaign was spent away from the Etihad Stadium, with a season-long loan at Bayer Leverkusen bringing sporadic minutes before a January move to sister club Girona, where he registered one goal and one assist in 618 minutes.
Manchester City confirmed the loan in early September following a decision reportedly taken by director of football Hugo Viana and manager Enzo Maresca, in a summer that brought Elliot Anderson, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Enzo Fernandez into the Blues' midfield.
Maresca had been reported in August to be planning to keep Echeverri in his first-team squad after watching him in pre-season, only for the loan to Benfica to be agreed before the transfer window slammed shut.
No need to rush the process or make a hasty decision, says Benfica boss Silva on Echeverri
Speaking at a press conference prior to Benfica's 2-1 win over Santa Clara, Silva was asked about the prospect of signing Echeverri permanently.
"I'd say we have plenty of time to assess him and integrate him into the team," the former Watford and Fulham manager said, as relayed by Sport Witness.
"And I'm not talking about quality. Because he's got plenty of quality. If he didn't, we wouldn't have made that move [signing him] so close to the end of the [transfer] window.
"I felt we needed a player with that profile for that position and asked the board to find the right player. He'd been linked with Benfica, and I knew him well from his brief spell in England."
Silva then spoke about the timeframe for a decision on Echeverri and the player's contribution to the squad. "There's no need to rush the process or make a hasty decision," the Benfica manager added.
"The player knows we're pleased with him; we know the talent we have in the squad to work with. He has to keep working - and work hard.
"We don't usually make decisions based solely on one or two months, or on two or three matches. I'm certain the player will contribute a great deal and that he will improve. Within the established timeframe and deadlines, we'll have plenty of time to do so.
"There's no need to rush things. We have a lot to focus on and work towards. At the right time, we'll make the decisions that will always be in Benfica's best interests."
Echeverri's Benfica loan and the route to a permanent deal
The loan includes an option for Benfica to buy Echeverri outright, with the fee and the price of the option not disclosed publicly, although it has been reported that the Portuguese club are paying the player's full Manchester City salary for the one-year spell.
It has previously been reported that Manchester City kept control of his future through a buy-back clause worth £43.4 million, which would leave the Blues free to let him develop elsewhere on another loan or sell him to Benfica at a profit.
Further reporting from Portugal cited that Benfica contacted Manchester City captain Ruben Dias, who spent more than 12 years at the Portuguese club before joining the Blues in 2020, to ask about Echeverri's professionalism, training habits and adaptation to European football before the deal was completed.
The same report claimed that Silva wanted a more creative and explosive midfielder than Heorhiy Sudakov, with Echeverri able to operate as a third midfielder or a second striker in the Benfica system.
Echeverri made his Benfica debut as a substitute against Gil Vicente, registering an assist, before making his first start for the club in a win over Omonia Nicosia in mid-October, with the Argentine playing mainly off the bench in between.
Silva's comments came after a spell in which Echeverri featured mainly from the bench, with the Argentine yet to nail down a regular place in a Benfica side that is competing in European football this season.
The attacking midfielder has said he would be open to staying at Benfica beyond the initial loan whilst looking for more regular playing time, as relayed by Sport Witness on 25 October after his comments to Portuguese outlet Mais Futebol.
Echeverri would return to a Manchester City midfield that now includes Anderson, signed from Nottingham Forest for £116 million, Bouaddi from Lille for £86 million and Fernandez from Chelsea in a club-record deal brokered for £125 million.
Manchester City host Brighton and Hove Albion at the Etihad Stadium in the Carabao Cup fourth round on Wednesday night, before hosting the Seagulls again in the Premier League on Saturday.