Benfica have reached an agreement with Manchester City to sign attacking midfielder Claudio Echeverri on loan, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.
The 20-year-old is expected to join the Lisbon club on a temporary deal, with Benfica set to cover his salary in full. The agreement will also contain an option for Benfica to make the transfer permanent.
Echeverri is due to travel to Portugal today to complete the move. The value of the potential permanent transfer has not yet been disclosed.
The arrangement represents the latest stage in Manchester City’s plans for the Argentina international, who joined the Premier League club from River Plate in January 2024.
Manchester City completed the signing while Echeverri remained with his boyhood club for a further year. The attacking midfielder subsequently spent time on loan with Bayer and Girona before the proposed move to Benfica.
The clubs have now reached an understanding over the structure of the transfer, with the initial move set to be completed as a loan. Benfica will take responsibility for the player’s wages during his time in Lisbon, while the option to buy will give the Portuguese club the opportunity to secure his long-term future.
No figure has been reported for that option, and the financial terms of any permanent transfer remain undisclosed.
Echeverri’s immediate destination is expected to be Portugal, where he will complete the final steps of the move to Benfica. The transfer is subject to the completion of those formalities.
Manchester City signed Echeverri from River Plate in January 2024, but the Argentine did not immediately move to England. Instead, he stayed with River Plate for another year before later featuring on loan for Bayer and Girona.
His next temporary spell is set to take him to Benfica, with the Lisbon club agreeing to pay his full salary and retaining the possibility of signing him permanently.
