Argentina youth international Claudio Echeverri has completed his permanent move to Manchester City, more than a year after signing for the English champion before returning to River Plate on loan.

The 19-year-old Echeverri will add more youthful energy to an ailing City squad which was freshened in the winter transfer window with the arrival of five mostly young players.

Echeverri, an attacking midfielder, has just been playing in the South American Under-20 Championship, where he netted six goals in nine games for Argentina to be the second highest scorer in the tournament.

He signed for City in January 2024 but played for River for the past year as part of the agreement.

Txiki Begiristain, City director of football, described Echeverri as "one of the finest talents to emerge from South America in recent years."

"Football has been my life," Echeverri said, "and my dream was to play for one of the best teams in Europe. Today I am closer to that dream.

"Manchester City are one of the best teams in the world. Not only do they win trophies, they play the game so beautifully."

Echeverri has signed a contract until 2028 and will be part of City's squad for the remainder of the season.

City, the soon-to-be-deposed Premier League champion, spent more than $200 million during the recent winter transfer window on five players — midfielder Nico Gonzalez, defenders Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Christian McFarlane, and Egypt forward Omar Marmoush.

City manager Pep Guardiola said last week that refreshing the squad that won the last four Premier League titles might mean the departure of injury-prone stalwarts who are struggling to cope with soccer's demanding schedule.

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