BREAKING: Man City sign 'next Messi'!

Manchester City have now officially announced the signing of an Argentine wonderkid touted to be the "next Lionel Messi".

The club world champions have confirmed the signing of Claudio Echeverri from River Plate on a four-year deal. 

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A statement by the club read: "Manchester City have completed the signing of Argentinian midfielder Claudio Echeverri from River Plate.The 18-year-old has signed a contract until June 2028 but will remain at River before moving to the Etihad Stadium in January next year.

"Everyone at Manchester City is looking forward to welcoming Claudio to the Club and we wish him the best of luck in his remaining time with River."

The highly-rated star is said to have been tracked by several top clubs in Europe in recent months, including Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, but City have now got the deal over the line.

According to Mundo Deportivo, City agreed to pay a fixed fee of €18 million (R368 million), plus €9 million (R184 million) in variables in addition to other clauses, to secure the wonderkid's signature.

It is understood Echeverri will stay at River Plate until December 2024 before making the switch to Manchester.

The teenager caught the spotlight at the U-17 FIFA World Cup, which was held in Indonesia between November and December 2023, impressing many as he went on to receive the adidas Bronze Boot for finishing as the tournament's third top scorer with five goals plus two assists for Argentina, according to FIFA.

Named captain of that team, Echeverri's best moment undoubtedly came in the quarter-finals, when he bagged a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over South American arch-rivals Brazil.

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The promising talent now follows a similar route to his countryman Julian Alvarez, who also joined the Citizens after impressing at River Plate.

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