Man City finally sign 'the next Lionel Messi'! Highly-rated Claudio Echeverri joins in £12.5m deal from River Plate but teenage forward will spend rest of 2024 with Argentine giants

Echeverri, who has been described as 'the next Lionel Messi' in Argentina, has signed a contract with the treble winners until 2028. However, he will remain with River Plate until the end of 2024.

Echeverri was one of the breakout stars at the under-17 World Cup in Peru in 2023. He scored five goals across seven appearances as Argentina enjoyed a thrilling run through to the semi-finals, including a stunning hat-trick against Brazil in the last eight.

Echeverri made his first-team debut for River Plate in June 2023, working under former City coach Martin Demichelis, and claimed an assist in a 3-1 win over Instituto Cordoba. The forward, who turned 18 at the start of the month, has made six appearances for River's first team and 23 appearances for the Argentina under-17 team, who he captained at the World Cup. He has also trained with Argentina's senior team, allowing him to work side-by-side with Messi.

Echeverri became a viral sensation when he was just 11 years old after starring at the Champions Trophy youth tournament in Venice, scoring nine goals in seven games.

The 18-year-old will spend the rest of the year with River Plate, just as Julian Alvarez did when he signed for City from Millonarios in January 2022. He is expected to join up with Pep Guardiola's side from January 2025, when he will join a star-studded attack boasting Erling Haaland, Alvarez and Kevin De Bruyne.