Many players are expected to depart Manchester City over the coming weeks.
The Premier League club have found it hard to move on unwanted players so far during the current transfer window, but it is a necessity, as Pep Guardiola has made it clear that he wants to work with a smaller group of players throughout the 2025/26 campaign.
One of the easier ways to achieve this is by loaning out younger stars, with Vitor Reis set to join Girona ahead of the new season, while Jahmai Simpson-Pusey has already completed a temporary switch to Celtic.
There is another member of Guardiola’s squad who is in high demand, and the 19-year-old recently received a phone call from a World Cup winner about leaving Man City to join his club.
Claudio Echeverri celebrates his goal at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images
Paulo Dybala called Claudio Echeverri about joining Roma
It was reported last week that Roma have joined the race for Claudio Echeverri, with the Italian club keen on signing the Argentina star on loan with the option of buying him in the future.
Man City have rejected Roma’s loan offer for Echeverri this week, which included a £29m (€33m) mandatory purchase clause, as the Premier League club have no intention of letting the midfielder leave permanently.
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According to Mundo Deportivo, Girona now look like the 19-year-old’s destination for the upcoming season, as the La Liga club are Man City’s preference for Echeverri after rejecting Roma’s proposal.
The Manchester club view the move as a perfect one for the midfielder as Girona fit into City Football Group’s usual strategy: to acclimate the player to a competitive league in Europe, while the player joins a stable environment with a style of play similar to Guardiola’s.
Echeverri would prefer a move to Roma as he is intrigued by their project and has received direct calls from fellow countrymen, Paulo Dybala and Matías Soulé, who have been trying to convince him to move to the Italian capital.
However, that looks unlikely, as Manchester City have full control of the player and seem to have a plan in place for his development.
Max Alleyne joins Watford on loan
Although Echeverri’s future is complicated, one loan deal that has got over the line is Max Alleyne to Watford, with the Championship club announcing their new signing on Friday morning.
This move had been lined up for some time, with Alleyne signing a new Man City contract before joining the Hornets for the 25/26 campaign.
The Manchester club have a lot of faith in the talent of the defender, and gaining experience of first-team football will benefit the 20-year-old ahead of next summer, as the youngster will be hoping to break into Guardiola’s plans.