Barcelona are moving to ‘get ahead’ of Manchester City for the signing of Argentinian youngster Claudio Echeverri as the race for his signature heats up.
That’s according to Radio La Red, relayed by Sport, who say the Catalans would be willing to exceed the player’s €25m release clause if they can pay for him in instalments.
The newspaper explains that Echeverri, who is known as Diablito, has been on the table of the big European teams for months but the interest has been ramped up following his ‘brilliant and excellent’ performances at the U-17 World Cup with Argentina.
Manchester City are one of those to have been linked for weeks and a report earlier this month stated they were ‘charging’ forward to make a deal happen.
Barcelona, though, want to ensure it is they who win the race for his signature, and they have a ‘certain advantage’, according to Radio La Red.
According to their information, they have informed River Plate of their intention to negotiate for the 17-year-old, who turns 18 in January, and that they would be willing to pay €30m for him, €5m more than his release clause.
Their idea is to pay in several instalments and, crucially, leave the player in Argentina until 2024, which might tempt River Plate.
They’ve presented their offer to the Argentinian club in an attempt to ‘get ahead’ of the competition for him, with Real Madrid, PSG and Manchester City all named.
Whether they’re successful remains to be seen but the battle is very much underway for Echeverri’s signature.
