Bayer Leverkusen snap up Claudio Echeverri! Erik ten Hag's men reach full agreement with Man City over transfer for Argentine playmaker as Borussia Dortmund lose out

German transfer expert Florian Plettenberg has just reported that Leverkusen have reached a full agreement with Manchester City to sign young playmaker Echeverri on loan for the 2025-26 season. However, the 2023-24 Bundesliga champions will not have the option to buy him next summer, as City consider him a big part of the future project. Echeverri and Leverkusen, per Plettenberg, reached a verbal agreement in advance.

Echeverri made a splash at the Club World Cup, scoring a sensational free kick in what was his first goal for the English side. However, he suffered an ankle injury during the tournament, which prevented him from further staking his claim in manager Pep Guardiola's plans. As the transfer window progressed, City decided that it was in the player's best interests to head out on loan in order to avoid stymieing his development. Indeed, it would have been hard for the Argentine to find minutes following the acquisition of Rayan Cherki. Echeverri has made just three appearances in total for City since joining from River Plate in January earlier this year.

In the past few weeks, speculation has been rife about Echeverri's future. Serie A side Roma had been monitoring the diminutive playmaker for weeks, reportedly even proposing a loan deal with an option to buy him next summer for €33 million (£29m/$38m). However, City rejected the offer as they wanted to have full control over the player's future. News of a loan to fellow City Football Group side Girona, in Spain, made the rounds, too. Furthermore, Plettenberg revealed that Borussia Dortmund submitted an official offer to sign Echeverri, but City informed the Black and Yellow that the 19-year-old would be joining rivals Leverkusen instead.

According to Fabrizio Romano, medicals for Echeverri ahead of his move to Leverkusen have been scheduled for as early as Tuesday night, with the youngster set to travel to Germany immediately. Leverkusen will be covering the player's entire salary, too. Should the move pull through, the former River Plate wonderkid can be expected to make his debut for Die Werkself against Hoffenheim on Saturday.