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Manchester City midfielder Claudio Echeverri has impressed in training but will spend the rest of the season on loan
Manchester City have decided to loan Claudio Echeverri out for the 2025/26 season as the youngster returns to fitness. Echeverri will head to Leverkusen for the season, with no option for the German club to buy him at the end of it.
It will mark the end to an interesting few months for the young Argentina midfielder in Manchester. Arriving in February 2025 having stayed at River Plate for a year after signing, the 19-year-old was not picked by Pep Guardiola until the FA Cup final - when he ousted Rico Lewis, James McAtee and others from the squad and then came on as a substitute ahead of Jack Grealish.
Echeverri impressed in the first half of the Club World Cup game against Al Ain, scoring a direct free-kick, but did not reappear after the break. He has been sidelined ever since, missing the pre-season friendly with Palermo and the Premier League opener at Wolves.
The youngster returned to training at the weekend and there had been a suggestion he could stay at the Etihad despite the squad containing too many non-homegrown players for the Champions League. However, a loan has been sorted for Leverkusen that will give Echeverri an opportunity in one of Europe's top five leagues.
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
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Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games this season, an increase of up to 100 more.
Echeverri is keen to impress not just for his own development but also because there is a World Cup at the end of the season. The teenager has been picked in the senior squad for the latest fixtures and wanted to give himself the best chance of making next summer's tournament with plenty of minutes in a tough league.
Leverkusen ticks those boxes and can also offer Champions League football again, having finished runners-up to Bayern Munich last season. Erik Ten Hag has taken over from Xabi Alonso this summer to oversee a team that has also lost Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong to Liverpool.
Echeverri's exit will leave City with two non-homegrown players too many for their Champions League squad. Stefan Ortega has been expected to leave, although Ederson and Savinho have also attracted interest.
Guardiola reiterated after the Wolves game that City's squad is currently too big, and that was without Echeverri and others included.
Man City's 2025/26 Third Shirt
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Man City have launched their new third shirt for the 2025/26 season.
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