Introduction
Claudio Echeverri has just taken the next step: a season-long loan to Bayer Leverkusen from Manchester City. It’s a big move for a 19-year-old playmaker whose game is built on quick feet, sharp turns, and daring final balls. If you’re curious what makes Claudio Echeverri so hyped, what he’s done so far, and what comes next, this guide lays it all out—profile, origin story, playing style, last-season stats, salary, market value, national-team picture, transfer history, and a grounded outlook for 2025/26.
- Introduction
- Who is Claudio Echeverri?
- Brief origin story
- Playing Style and Position
- Claudio Echeverri Performance Statistics (Last Season / Last 12 Months)
- Claudio Echeverri Salary Breakdown
- Claudio Echeverri Transfer Value & Market Trends
- National Team Role
- Transfer History
- Key Achievements & Career Highlights
- Current National Team News (Argentina)
- Rumours & Latest News
- Future Outlook
- Conclusion – Claudio Echeverri in 2025
Who is Claudio Echeverri?
Quick Profile:
Full name: Claudio Jeremías Echeverri
Date of birth: 2 January 2006
Claudio Echeverri’s current age: 19 Years old (as of August 2025)
Nationality: Argentina
Height: 1.70 m
Preferred foot: Right
Primary/secondary positions: Attacking midfielder (AM); can play wide as a drifting winger
Current club (year joined): Bayer 04 Leverkusen (loan, 2025) from Manchester City (contract to 2028)
Shirt/boot sponsor (if notable): adidas (reported)
Social-media reach: N/A
Claudio Echeverri Wife / Girlfriend: Reported girlfriend Melissa Fernández (also a footballer); no public confirmation of marriage.
Why fans care now: Leverkusen is an ideal proving ground. He’ll get Bundesliga minutes in an aggressive, possession-dominant side that values quick combination play—perfect for a young No.10 who thrives between the lines.
Brief origin story
Claudio Echeverri was Born in Resistencia (Chaco). He joined River Plate’s academy as a kid and tore through the youth levels. The wider world met him at the 2023 U-17 World Cup, where he scored a hat-trick vs Brazil and left with the Bronze Boot. Manchester City secured his signature in January 2024, loaned him back to River for the 2024 season, then brought him into Pep Guardiola’s squad in February 2025. He even netted a gorgeous Club World Cup free-kick in June. In August 2025, he moved to Leverkusen on a season-long loan to accelerate first-team experience in Europe.
Playing Style and Position
Role in team (how managers have used him):
A classic “between-the-lines” creator. Claudio Echeverri starts central as an AM or tucks in from the right, receives on the half-turn, and looks to slip runners in or drive at the back line. At River he often broke shape to overload the half-spaces; at City he showed flashes combining in tight triangles; at Leverkusen he should arrive as a change-of-pace creator who can break low blocks.
Strengths:
- Ball-carrying & dribbling: Low center of gravity, sharp body feints.
- Acceleration over 5–10m: Creates immediate separation to find the pass or shot.
- Vision & weighting: Quick, clean through-balls into the box.
- Set-piece threat: Technique to whip fast, dipping deliveries and direct shots.
- Pressing energy: Likes to hunt the ball after turnovers.
Weaknesses / growth areas:
- Aerials/duels: Size limits him in long-ball phases; needs craft to shield and spin.
- Decision timing: Occasionally holds it a beat too long; top-tier defenses punish that.
- Defensive positioning: Still learning elite pressing triggers and rest-defense responsibilities.
Comparison (style, not hype):
Think Juan Fernando Quintero for the glide and disguise on the pass, with modern pressing demands more in line with a Jamal Musiala-type dribbler (though Musiala is taller and further along). The point isn’t “the next ___” but that he’s a small-space specialist who can unstick attacks.
Where Claudio Echeverri fits at Leverkusen
Off the right as an inverted creator, or as the high No.10 in a 3-2-4-1, arriving in the box late while rotating with the right-sided playmaker. Expect him to combine with the striker’s wall passes and weak-side winger’s back-post runs.
How Leverkusen can polish Claudio Echeverri
Refine his first-touch direction under pressure, speed up his pass selection by a half-second, and build off-ball timing to arrive in the box more often. A 4–6 goals / 4–7 assists season is realistic if he hits 1,200–1,800 minutes.
Claudio Echeverri Performance Statistics (Last Season / Last 12 Months)
Mix of River Plate 2024 + Manchester City early 2025 + first Leverkusen minutes (where applicable). Assists and key-passes by competition are not consistently disclosed across leagues—where unknown, marked N/A.
| Competition | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Key Passes/Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| League (ARG + ENG + GER) | 32 | 3 | N/A | N/A |
| Champions/Europe (e.g., Libertadores) | 10 | 1 | N/A | N/A |
| Domestic Cups (e.g., Copa de la Liga, FA Cup) | 12 | 1 | N/A | N/A |
| International (senior) | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| Other (e.g., Club World Cup / Super Cups) | 2 | 1 | N/A | N/A |
| Total | 56 | 6 | 8* | N/A |
* Assists in total reflects club season totals from public databases (distribution by competition not fully published).
Reading the numbers: Claudio Echeverri logged heavy minutes as a teenager at River, then had cameo showings at City—including that standout Club World Cup free-kick—and now begins a Bundesliga loan. The production is exactly what you’d expect from a 19-year-old creator: flashes of end product, more chance-creation than volume scoring, and a platform to grow.
Claudio Echeverri Salary Breakdown
Note: exact football salaries are rarely public. Figures below are reported/estimated.
Base table
| Time Period | Salary (Gross) | Per Year | Per Month | Per Week | Per Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 (loan at Leverkusen) — estimated | € | €950,000 | €79,167 | €18,269 | €2,603 |
| Parent club contract (Man City) — reported | £ | £780,000 | £65,000 | £15,000 | £2,137 |
Bonuses: Performance/image rights not disclosed.
Contract: Start–End: Jan 2024 – Jun 2028 (Manchester City). Years remaining: runs to 30 June 2028; current season spent on loan at Leverkusen. Release clause: N/A.
Optional – Salary by Season
| Season | Base Salary | Weekly Equivalent | Contract Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 (Man City) — reported | £780,000 | £15,000 | Year 1 with City (joined squad Feb 2025) |
| 2025/26 (Leverkusen loan) — estimated | €950,000 | €18,269 | Loan season |
Claudio Echeverri Transfer Value & Market Trends
Current Transfermarkt value: €18 million (last update May 30, 2025). That figure reflects strong youth tournament pedigree, significant River minutes, limited but eye-catching City cameos, and the classic “19-year-old AM” upside premium. If he logs 1,500+ good Bundesliga minutes—progressing chance creation and adding a few goals—expect a bump; if he struggles for starts, it likely holds steady or dips slightly given competition for attacking roles at City next summer.
Optional – Value Timeline
| Date (Month/Year) | Valuation |
|---|---|
| May 2025 | €18m |
National Team Role
Caps/goals (senior): 0 / 0
Tournaments & signature moments (youth): Bronze Boot at the 2023 U-17 World Cup; hat-trick vs Brazil in the quarter-finals; featured with Argentina’s U-23s in the 2024 Olympic qualifying tournament.
Likely senior role next window/tournament: If his Bundesliga minutes build, a first Albiceleste senior call-up in late 2025 or early 2026 is realistic, initially as an impact sub/creative spark.
Transfer History
Timeline table
| From Club | To Club | Year | Fee / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| River Plate | Manchester City | 2024 | Reported ~£12.5m initial (≈$16m), add-ons potentially taking it toward ~$25m. |
| Manchester City | River Plate (loan) | 2024 | Loaned back for full 2024 season. |
| River Plate (loan end) | Manchester City | Feb 2025 | Joined City squad; contract runs to June 2028. |
| Manchester City | Bayer Leverkusen (loan) | Aug 2025 | Season-long loan; no option to buy reported. |
Optional signing timeline:
- Jan 25, 2024: Deal announced (stays at River for 2024).
- Feb 27, 2025: Reports to Manchester City.
- Aug 21, 2025: Season-long loan to Leverkusen confirmed.
That’s the path for Claudio Echeverri so far—each step adding responsibility without cutting off the pathway back to City.
Key Achievements & Career Highlights
- Bronze Boot, FIFA U-17 World Cup 2023 (hat-trick vs Brazil).
- Argentine Primera División champion 2023 with River Plate (part of the title-winning squad as a teen).
- First Manchester City goal: a stunning direct free-kick at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
- FA Cup Final appearance (2025): cameo from the bench at Wembley as a teenager.
Current National Team News (Argentina)
- Status: First senior call-up by Lionel Scaloni for the September World Cup qualifiers.
- Fixtures: Venezuela (Sep 4, 2025 — Buenos Aires) and Ecuador (Sep 9, 2025).
- Squad context: Argentina are already qualified; newcomers Alan Varela and José Manuel López are included, while Ángel Correa and Facundo Medina miss out. Core leaders like Lionel Messi, Rodrigo De Paul and Emiliano Martínez remain.
- Expected role: Impact creator off the bench; minutes likely based on game state as he integrates with the senior setup.
- Club note: Arrives from Bayer Leverkusen (loan confirmed Aug 21, 2025) and is available for selection.
Rumours & Latest News
- Official: Season-long loan to Bayer Leverkusen for 2025/26.
- Earlier summer chatter (Rumour/Speculation): Premier League loans and Girona were discussed in media reports before the Leverkusen move was sealed.
- Fitness note: He left the Club World Cup match vs Al Ain in a protective boot and was assessed by City’s staff; no long-term issue flagged publicly afterward.
Future Outlook
Projection for 2025/26:
The Bundesliga is tailor-made for high-tempo technicians who break lines on the turn. Expect Leverkusen to use him as a right-sided No.10 or central AM. If he earns trust early, 1,200–1,800 minutes feels achievable, with 4–6 league goals and 4–7 assists across competitions a fair range. The bigger target is consistency: making the same sharp choices at 0–0 as at 3–0. Do that, and he returns to City in 2026 as a real squad option.
Fit & pathway:
- Competition for places: Leverkusen have depth in the attacking midfield and wing channels; minutes must be earned.
- Manager’s system: High press, positional rotations, and quick verticality suit his instincts.
- Growth levers: Off-ball timing into the box, faster release in zone 14, and set-piece refinement.
Conclusion – Claudio Echeverri in 2025
Claudio Echeverri matters now because the talent is obvious and the context is finally right. He’s out of the cameo phase and into a league that rewards fearless creators. The skill set—tight control, disguise, and bold passing—translates. The question is repetition under pressure. So he is comparing with different players like Arda Güler. Nail that in Leverkusen, and 2025/26 becomes the season that turns promise into production.
