BARCELONA
Barça target Claudio Echeverri: “I’m not going to sign a new deal”
The young midfielder, who has been linked with Barcelona, let his contract intentions slip after his first start for River Plate.
Claudio Echeverri made the most of his first game as a starter in the River Plate shirt, winning the league title to close off an extraordinary 2023 in which he shot upwards from the foundations of the team, featuring for the u-17 Argentina national team as well as making his first start for his club.
However, after the final whistle in the victory against Rosario Central, he surprised the world with his statements to camera: “I’m not going to sign a new deal but for 6 months or a year I’ll stay”, said the 17-year-old.
Echeverri declared, delighted after winning a title with River, that despite having a good year he wanted more minutes with the white and red shirt: in Santiago del Estero, Demichelis gave him the opportunity in the eleven. The playmaker shone, putting in a high level performance and was taken off for Nacho Fernández with a resounding ovation.
When does Echeverri’s contract end?
Despite his first start being a long-awaited moment for Echeverri, he also left a message of dissatisfaction due to the lack of minutes he had played before leaving with the Argentina u-17 national team for the World Cup in Indonesia.
El Diablito has participated in just six games with River Plate and the fans were excited about the growth of the player who could be used to improve the squad in the short term. The player who was called to make a difference has now disappointed many fans with his statements.
He has a contract until December 2024 and his price would be incredibly low in the case of a transfer in the European summer market; he could even leave without leaving a single dollar in the club’s accounts.
Xavi lauds Echeverri’s talent
Over the last few weeks, after his great performance in the U-17 World Cup, there have been strong rumours about the interest of clubs like Manchester City or Barcelona. Xavi Hernandez even praised him in a press conference, calling Echeverri both “a talent” and a “differential footballer”.
It seems that the hope of reaching Europe has taken over the mind of both Echeverri and his agent. In the next few days, it will be seen if the pair double down on their statements that came in a moment of ecstasy after celebrating winning the title.
Demichelis himself, speaking to ESPN, wanted to play down the importance of Echeverri’s statements, affirming that the player “has to enjoy himself, he is young and when they put a microphone on you after having won a title you have mixed feelings. Now it is time for him to rest, to take good care of him, to advise him and I think he should not be in a hurry to leave this great club”.