Manchester City could be heading towards a permanent sale of Claudio Echeverri, with Benfica reportedly deciding they want to keep the Argentine beyond this season.
It’s a huge turnaround for the 20-year-old. After struggling to establish himself during loans at Bayer Leverkusen and Girona, he’s finally starting to make things happen in Portugal.
And although he’s still playing relatively little, his impact has been difficult to ignore.
Now, one Portuguese newspaper claims Benfica have already made up their minds about buying him. Another says they’ll wait until the end of the season. Either way, things are looking much better for the Manchester City youngster.
Echeverri making the most of his minutes
Echeverri has played just 267 minutes across six appearances for Benfica, starting twice. Yet he’s already had a hand in several important goals.
Jornal de Notícias and A Bola both highlight his growing influence, particularly from the bench.
Against Gil Vicente, he came on late and assisted Gianluca Prestianni in a 3-1 victory. He then set up Sudakov in the 2-0 win over Vitória de Guimarães.
There was another encouraging performance against Omonia in the Europa League, where he played a part in two goals.
His latest contribution came against Alverca on Monday. Benfica were struggling to break down their opponents when Marco Silva brought Echeverri on at half-time.
Within minutes, the Manchester City loanee won the penalty that Pavlidis converted for a 1-0 victory. Not bad for someone still trying to force his way into the starting eleven.
Marco Silva, who already spoke about the possibility of signing ‘El Diablito’ permanently, certainly liked what he saw.
“He arrived later than the others and has been improving,” the manager said after the game.
“He gave the team what it needed and is clearly beginning to understand everything we want from him.”
A Bola also points out that Echeverri still needs to improve defensively, particularly when it comes to maintaining the team’s balance.
That’s something to work on, but his attacking contributions are already making a strong case for more minutes.
Manchester City youngster loving life at Benfica
Record brings another interesting detail about how Echeverri is settling in. The newspaper says he’s going through a period of great satisfaction in Lisbon.
He’s happy with the club, feels comfortable with his teammates and believes he’s found the right environment to develop. Silva’s confidence has apparently played a big part in that.
Record also reveals that Echeverri had offers from Premier League, Serie A and La Liga clubs before choosing Benfica.
He preferred the Portuguese side’s project, partly because of the development of his compatriot and long-time friend Gianluca Prestianni. And the feeling seems to be mutual.
“I’m very happy here and I’m trying to make the most of the minutes I get,” Echeverri said after facing Alverca.
“There’s really good competition here and I’m giving everything to become a starter.”
He’s also already been asked about staying beyond his loan.
“It would be something beautiful, but step by step,” he said after the Europa League game against Omonia.
Benfica reportedly decide to buy Echeverri – But there’s a catch
Well, now comes the potentially biggest development for Manchester City. Correio da Manhã reports that Benfica’s board have already decided to exercise their purchase option.
The newspaper puts the fixed fee at €21m (£18.2m), with another €10m (£8.7m) in potential bonuses. That would take the total package to €31m (£26.9m).
According to the report, Benfica can activate the clause at any point during the loan. The club are already working towards completing the deal.
There’s another factor behind that decision. Prestianni’s performances have attracted attention from major European clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain. Correio da Manhã says a January exit cannot be ruled out, despite his €100m (£86.8m) release clause.
Securing Echeverri would therefore give Benfica some reassurance if they end up losing another Argentine talent.
However, Jornal de Notícias offers a slightly different picture. They also believe a permanent deal is progressing well, but say Benfica won’t make their formal decision until closer to the end of the season.
So there’s no completed transfer just yet, and the two newspapers disagree on how far Benfica have actually gone.
For Manchester City, the situation is nevertheless encouraging. Echeverri is getting more involved, his manager likes what he’s seeing and the player himself is happy.
City also reportedly have a €50m (£43.4m) buyback clause should Benfica make the move permanent. That could leave them with a decent financial return and a way to bring Echeverri back if his development continues.
After a couple of frustrating loans, this one is finally starting to look like it might work out for everyone.
