European football has been put on high alert after Claudio Echeverri, nicknamed the ‘new Lionel Messi’, showed that he would renew his contract with River Plate.
Echeverri came to global attention during the recent U-17 World Cup.
His Argentina side may only triumph in the quarter-finals and not reflect the heroics of Messi’s senior team in Qatar a year ago, however, the attacking midfielder still turned heads when he scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 quarter-final win. Brazil’s bitter rival.
Echeverri soon connected with several European giants. Last week, SPORT reported that Barcelona had approached River to explore a solution for the teenager and had offered to pay more than his $27. 5 million (€25 million) release clause if he allowed the sum to be paid in installments.
Still, the Buenos Aires club could be forced to highlight that value given that Echeverri has already shown that he will accept new terms with them that will expire on December 31.
“I’m not going to renew,” he said after his first start for the team on Friday, which will have been a great sadness for them, as Echeverri was expected to dedicate himself to his long journey and then accumulate. the release clause.
“I’m going to stay for a year or six months and then see what happens.”
The statement will put Barca and a string of other interested parties on alert, with head coach Xavi Hernandez well aware of who the prodigy that turns 18 in January is.
“I know him. He’s talented. He’s a differential player. Their arrival? It’s in the reconnaissance area,” the legendary midfielder said recently.
Echeverri has also revealed that “in addition to River, I would like to play for Barca”.
“I’m a big fan of Messi and I’ve seen him play for Barcelona, so I’ve had this team inside me since I was very young. “
The fulfillment of this wish depends on Barça’s ability to beat the rest of the pack for his signing at a time when their purchasing power is limited.