Another wonderkid! Barcelona eyeing €25m swoop for Argentina starlet Claudio Echeverri after Xavi praise

According to journalist Pablo Giralt, the Catalan side will aim to pay River Plate £21.7m ($27.56m) for the 17-year-old. The attacking midfielder, who has been linked with Chelsea, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, started in his side's 2-0 win over Rosario Central as they won the Trofeo de Campeones on Friday night.

Echeverri, who turns 18 next month, is seen as one of the next big hopes in Argentinian football. He himself has also set his sights on joining Barca one day and as a kid he used to watch when Lionel Messi played for the Spanish giants.

Earlier this month, the Barcelona boss said this about Echeverri: "The boy [Echeverri] is a talent. Beyond the hat-trick he scored against Brazil [at the U17 World Cup], he's a difference-maker, but it's something for the scouting department [to deal with]."

The January transfer window opens in just over a week's time. It remains to be seen if Barcelona will make a move for him in early 2024.