Transfer bosses at the Etihad Stadium are reportedly considering an immediate recall of Claudio Echeverri, who is currently on loan at Bayer Leverkusen.
Echeverri’s representatives botched their relationship with his parent club Manchester City and insisted on joining Bayer Leverkusen on a season-long loan in August, despite the club hoping the Argentinian would follow the January signing of Vito Reis to City’s sister club Girona in Spain.
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Echeverri, who has barely played in Germany since Manchester City approved a loan move to Bayer Leverkusen, faces an uncertain future at Leverkusen, with Leverkusen prepared to cut the playmaker’s loan short amid dissatisfaction with the 19-year-old’s playing time at the Etihad Stadium.
It is understood that Echeverri hopes to return to his childhood club River Plate, and will leave River Plate to join Manchester City in 2024 to revitalize his club career. However, City would prefer the youngster to stay in Europe and compete at the highest level.
City conduct a routine review of season-long loan players during the January transfer window and Echeverri is expected to be a major topic of discussion among director of football Hugo Viana and other decision-makers at the Etihad Stadium in the coming weeks.
The Blues have the option of bringing Echeverri back to Manchester to keep him around the first team, or move him on a short-term loan to another club where the club believe he will feature regularly to further his development.
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Echeverri arrived in England in January 2025, and during his first few months at the Etihad Stadium, the Argentine trained only with the first-team squad, learning Guardiola’s methods. The Argentinian then made a surprise debut in City’s FA Cup final loss to Crystal Palace, coming on as a substitute to nearly equalize.
Viana has revolutionized City’s aging squad since arriving in England and the decision to move out on loan for a season will benefit Echeverry and many others as they find new clubs to provide strong support to their respective countries ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
According to the German newspaper “Kicker” translated and forwarded by BuliNews, Manchester City is planning to recall Echeverri from his loan contract at Leverkusen by triggering a clause in the contract.
With the 19-year-old playmaker no longer able to make a certain number of appearances for the Bundesliga side this season, it is unlikely that his club will prevent an early return and therefore trigger that recall clause.
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Echeverri’s representatives are believed to be in talks with Bayer Leverkusen to terminate the loan deal, which could spark interest from a range of European clubs looking to integrate the Argentine into their first-team squad.
City and Guardiola want Echeverri to feature regularly and, after giving in to his agent’s demands for a move to Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, Etihad Stadium bosses are unlikely to entertain any further demands from the teenager’s training camp.