Manchester City report: South American wonderkid confirmed to be joining Pep Guardiola's squad in January: report

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Manchester City have won one in the last eight, with Pep Guardiola adding a teenager to breathe new life into his team

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola (Image credit: Getty Images)

Manchester City will add a teenager superstar to their squad next month – with the 18-year-old saying goodbye to fans this weekend before he leaves.

The Premier League champions dropped a further two points at the weekend away to Crystal Palace, as their recent slump continued. Rico Lewis was sent off in a drab display, with Pep Guardiola noticeably agitated in his post-match media.

The result leaves Manchester City eight points off top spot, with Liverpool's weekend fixture postponed due to the weather.

Manchester City to add some much needed youth to their side

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 22: Manchester City players Ruben Dias, Rodri, Erling Haaland, Ilkay Gundogan, Manuel Akanji, Jeremy Doku and Josko Gvardiol join in with a minutes applause for Howard Bernstein before the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Arsenal FC at Etihad Stadium on September 22, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)

Manchester City have an ageing side – and it's been a major problem this season (Image credit: Getty Images)

City started with a midfield at the weekend that had a combined age of 97. Ilkay Gundogan is 34 – and linked with an exit next summer – while the futures of Kevin De Bruyne (33) and Bernardo Silva (30) are both uncertain, too.

The absence of Rodri has been a huge blow, but City have lacked squad depth in key areas in recent weeks, with the likes of attackers, Savinho, Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku all facing criticism, too.

Rodri walks past Pep Guardiola following his red card in Manchester City's win over Nottingham Forest in September 2023.

City haven't adapted without Rodri (Image credit: Getty Images)

It looks as though there could well be a new addition, in the form of Argentine wonderkid Claudio Echeverri.

TyC Sports in Argentina has reported that the superstar teenager returned at the weekend for River Plate's 4-0 win over Rosario Central to bid farewell to fans before linking up with City next month. The Sky Blues signed Echeverri in January of this year, agreeing for the starlet to remain on loan for another 12 months.

Ranked at no.16 in FourFourTwo's list of the most exciting teenagers to watch this season, there appears to be hope that Echeverri can already make a difference to City, with club legend Sergio Aguero posting on X (formerly Twitter), with Echeverri’s name and the sunglasses emoji, after the star scored his first goal in senior football.

In FourFourTwo's opinion, however, dropping the star into City's current team may well be a calculated risk from Guardiola.

Claudio Echeverri, who signed for Manchester City in January, celebrates a goal for River Plate against Nacional in the Copa Libertadores in April 2024.

Claudio Echeverri in action for River Plate (Image credit: Getty Images)

While Echeverri is electric, players far more experienced than the teen have needed long adaptation periods to settle into Guardiola's style of play – and with City currently in flux, it may be a big ask for the wonderkid to contribute immediately. Don't be surprised if another loan move is arranged after all.

Echeverri is valued at €18 million by Transfermarkt. City travel to Juventus this week, as Champions League action continues.

Mark White
Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.