‘He deserves it’… Director admits he is happy to see £26m player closing in on a move to Manchester City

River Plate sporting director Enzo Francescoli has admitted that Claudio Echeverri “deserves” to join an elite club like Man City.

He spoke candidly about Echeverri’s inevitable move to the Etihad Stadium while speaking to ESPN’s SportsCenter show (via their official website).

Last Wednesday, it was claimed that the Sky Blues were set to fork out a total £26 million fee to secure the Argentine’s services, which included the worth of his £22 million (€25 million) release clause and a £4 million (€5 million) fee on top of that.

The reason behind the £4 million fee is alleged to be down to River Plate’s longstanding intention of increasing the value of the 18-year-old’s release clause and extending his contract.